The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs meet in NHL action in game five of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series from Scotiabank Arena on Thursday. Let’s dive into the odds, matchup history and make a prediction for this game.
Odds
Toronto is a -155 home favorite while Tampa Bay is a +135 road underdog. The total for this game is set at 6.5 goals.
Matchup History
Toronto’s 5-4 OT win in game four made it three straight wins and five wins in the last six meetings for Toronto in this head-to-head matchup.
Trends
Tampa Bay is 1-4 in their last 5 road games and 2-8 in their last 10 division games while the over is 4-0 in their last 4 games overall. Toronto is 7-1 in their last 8 games overall and 59-25 in their last 84 home games while the over is 4-0 in their last 4 games overall.
Pick
I’m sticking with the Leafs in this one. It’s only game five, but it might as well feel like game seven for the Leafs here. Granted, Tampa Bay looks to have value as they’re the more experienced team in high-pressure playoff situations, while Toronto has done nothing but fold in the past in these types of spots. That being said, this Toronto team has some confidence after rallying twice to take back-to-back road wins in Tampa, something that is extremely hard to do most years but especially this season. I’ll side with Toronto to take advantage of the momentum and do the unthinkable for the first time in 18 years, advance to the second round.