The Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs meet Wednesday in NHL action at the Scotiabank Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Lightning vs Maple Leafs prediction.
Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Preview
The Tampa Bay Lightning recently beat the Islanders and Bruins while losing to the Red Wings. The Tampa Bay Lightning are averaging 3.46 goals per game and are scoring on 29.3 percent of their power play opportunities. Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with 42 goals, Victor Hedman has 59 assists and Steven Stamkos has 225 shots on goal. Defensively, the Tampa Bay Lightning are allowing 3.28 goals per game and are killing 82.9 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Jonas Johansson has given up 83 goals on 752 shots faced, while Andrei Vasilevskiy has allowed 32 goals on 1,320 shots.
Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Preview
The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off wins over the Capitals, Sabres and Panthers. The Toronto Maple Leafs are averaging 3.65 goals per game and are scoring on 24.4 percent of their power play opportunities. Auston Matthews leads Toronto with 62 goals, William Nylander has 56 assists and John Tavares has 250 shots on goal. Defensively, the Toronto Maple Leafs are allowing 3.09 goals per game and are killing 77.6 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Ilya Samsonov has allowed 105 goals on 976 shots faced, while Martin Jones has given up 50 goals on 542 shots. The Maple Leafs will meet the Canadiens, Penguins, and Devils after this one.
Toronto Maple Leafs Team Facts
- The Maple Leafs have lost three of their last four games as home favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The Maple Leafs have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last 13 games as home favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The road team has won the third period in nine of the Maple Leafs’ last 10 games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Maple Leafs’ last six games as favorites against the Lightning.
Tampa Bay Lightning Team Facts
- The Lightning have won each of their last six games at Scotiabank Arena following a loss.
- The Lightning have covered the puck line in seven of their last eight night games at Scotiabank Arena following a loss.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3’ market has hit in each of the Lightning’s last 12 games following a home loss.
- The Lightning have won the second period in seven of their last eight night games at Scotiabank Arena following a loss.
Lightning vs Maple Leafs prediction
The Lightning are playing their best hockey of the season, with an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games. Getting the Lightning in this current form at plus money is hard to turn down. However, the Maple Leafs have put together a nice three-game winning streak where the defense has tightened up, and they’ve won 8 of the last 10 games against the Lightning. The last three games between the Maple Leafs and Lightning have gone into overtime, so expect a tight game throughout. Still, I’ll give the edge to the Maple Leafs on their home ice.