The Toronto Maple Leafs could not close out the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning in game five. Now they head to Tampa to attempt to do it in game six. It's time to continue our NHL odds series, with a Maple Leafs- Lightning game six prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Andrei Vasilevskiy put aside his struggles from this series and player great in game five. It was only the second time in the series that Vasilevskiy has had a save percentage over .900, and it was also his second win on the series. After back-to-back overtime losses to the Leafs, the Lightning now will attempt to stave off elimination a second time and force a game seven. The Maple Leafs need to close this out tonight, as they are 12-14 all-time in-game sevens in the playoff and have not won one since 2004.
Here are the Maple Leafs-Lightning Game 6 NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Playoffs Odds: Maple Leafs-Lightning Game 6 Odds
Toronto Maple Leafs: +1.5 (-265)
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+215)
Over: 6.5 (-110)
Under: 6.5 (-110)
How To Watch Maple Leafs vs. Lightning Game 6
TV: TBS
Stream: NHLPP
Time: 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Maple Leafs Could Cover The Spread
After making the epic comeback in game four of the series, the Leafs came out strong and ready to go for game five. Morgan Rielly got his third goal of the series, just over five minutes into the game. Reilly played 65 games in the regular season, scoring just four goals. Already he is nearing that mark in the first round of the playoffs. The air came out of the tires quickly for the Maple Leafs, as they conceded the next three goals, and were down by two midway through the third period. Auston Matthews scored his fourth of the playoffs in the third to make it a one-goal game, but it was not enough.
Beyond Matthews and Reilly, Mitchell Marner has been great for the Leafs in the series. He has two goals and nine assists on the series, consistently setting up plays to get goals. William Nylander and Ryan O'Reilly also all have seven points in the series as well. John Tavares has been setting up plays as well. He had four shots on the net in the last game with three in high-danger scoring areas, and he had assists on both of the goals.
In goal, Ilya Samsonov has bounced back from a poor game one. He has had three games with save percentages over .900, and he turned it on to keep them in game four when things were going poorly. Game five was another solid performance, as he saved 34 of 37 shots in the game. Samsonov has not had the full breakout game yet, but he has been more than good enough to get wins.
Why The Lightning Could Cover The Spread
The Lightning staved off elimination once, and look to do it again in this one. Since taking over as the head coach of the Lightning, Jon Cooper is 8-5 in elimination games now, including a perfect 3-0 against Toronto. Last year, Tampa was down in the series 3-2 but won games six and seven to win the series.
The Lightning finally got back to quality shooting in the game as well. They were able to get 38 shots off in the game, which is the most of the series for them. Kucherov, and Stamkos both got five shots off in the game. Stamkos had been struggling to get shots off during the series, with only ten in the four games prior, but he played great in game five. Also impressive in game five was the defense. Four of the six Blueliners had an assist on the night, and they only gave away the puck a combined four times. They slowed do the Maple Leaf's transition regularly and eliminated high-danger scoring opportunities.
Vasilevskiy was back as well. In game one he was solid, saving 28 of 31 shots, for a .903 save percentage. He had not been over .900 since. He was a major part of the game four collapses for the Lightning and had been struggling throughout the series overall. It was the best night of the series for him in gave five though, as he saved 28 of 30 shots. Another performance like that, and this series is going to be game seven.
Final Maple Leafs-Lightning Game 6 Prediction & Pick
The Leafs have a golden opportunity to get past the Lightning, but they will need someone to step up and do something special. It could be Samsonov in goal or Matthews scoring, but they need something. That is because it takes something special to eliminate a team like the Lightning. Tampa Bay is at home, and if Vasilevskiy is back to form, they will force game seven.
Final Maple Leaves- Lightning Prediction & Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (+215)
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