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The Toronto Maple Leafs continue their trip through Florida as they face the Tampa Bay Lightning. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Maple Leafs-Lightning prediction and pick.
The Maples Leafs come into Tuesday night sitting at 47-25-4 on the year, which places them in first in the Atlantic Division. Prior to Tuesday night, they have won five of their last six games. On Tuesday night, it will be an Atlantic Division clash in Florida as the Toronto Maple Leafs will face the Florida Panthers.
Meanwhile, the Lightning come into the game at 45-26-6 on the year, which places them in second place in the Atlantic Division. In the first period, Nikita Kucherov scored to make it 1-0. Yanni Gourde and Brayden Point would both score in the period, to lead 3-0. In the second period, Mika Zibanejad scored to make it 3-1. Then in the third period, Nikita Kucherov set up Brayden Point to make it 4-1. That gave Kucherov a third straight year of 80-plus assists. The Lightning would go on to win the game 5-1.
Here are the Maple Leafs-Lightning NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Maple Leafs-Lightning Odds
Toronto Maple Leafs: +1.5 (-184)
Moneyline: +138
Buffalo Sabres: -1.5 (+148
Moneyline: -166
Over: 5.5 (-128)
Under: 5.5 (-102)
How To Watch Maple Leafs vs Lightning
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: ESPN+
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Maple Leafs Will Cover the Spread/Win
The top line for Toronto is led by the combination of Mitch Marner. Marner leads the team in assists and points this year. He comes into the game with 24 goals and 70 assists, good for 94 points. Marner also has six goals and 26 assists on the power play. Meanwhile, he is joined on the top line by Auston Matthews. Matthews is third on the team in points, coming in with 30 goals and 41 assists this year. They are joined on the line by Matthew Knies. Knies is fifth on the team in points, coming in with 26 goals and 26 assists.
Meanwhile, William Nylander leads the second line, sitting as the team leader in goals and second in points. He comes into the game with 44 goals and 38 assists this year while having 12 goals and 18 assists on the power play. He is joined on the line by John Tavares. Tavares has 36 goals and 34 assists this year, with 12 goals and seven assists on the power play.
With Joseph Woll now confirmed to be in the net on Tuesday night, it will be Anthony Stolarz in goal for this one. He is 18-8-3 on the year with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. Stolarz is third in the NHL in goals against and tied for second in save percentage. Further, he has also won five straight starts, giving up two or fewer goals in four straight.
Why the Lightning Will Cover the Spread/Win
The top line for the Lightning is led by Nikita Kucherov. He leads the team in assists and points this year, coming in with 34 goals and 81 assists, good for 115 total points. He is joined on the top line by Jake Guentzel. Guentzel is second on the team in goals, coming in with 38 goals and 39 assists on the year. Further, Brayden Point rounds out the line, while sitting third on the team in points and leading the team in goals. Point has 41 goals and 38 assists this year, good for 79 points.
Brandon Hagel leads the second line. Hagel comes in with 35 goals and 48 assists this year, sitting second on the team in points with 83 total points. He is joined on the second line by Anthony Cirelli. Cirelli comes in with 26 goals and 27 assists. Finally, Victor Hedman has 14 goals and 47 assists this year, good for 61 points, placing the blue liner fifth on the team in points.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to be in goal for the Lightning in this game. He is 37-20-3 on the year, with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. In his last five starts, Vasilevskiy is 4-1-0 and has allowed just five goals. The lone loss saw Vasilevsky give up two goals on 19 shots and take the loss. Still, he has allowed one or fewer goals in four of his last five starts.
Final Maple Leafs-Lightning Prediction & Pick
The Lightning come in as favorites in terms of odds in this NHL game. One reason is Andrei Vasilevskiy. He has continued to improve each month. In February he had a goals-against average of 2.15. That dropped to 2.09 in March and is at 1.54 so far in April. Further, the Lightning have scored 31 goals in the last seven games. The Maple Leafs did bump Anthony Stolarz to this game instead of Tuesday night, which will give them a better chance at winning. Still, expect this to be a low-scoring game, with the Lightning coming out on top.
Final Maple Leafs-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Lightning ML (-166)
