Tampa Bay Lightning vs Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Pick & Prediction 10/21/24

Planning on watching today’s Lightning and Maple Leafs game? Catch the action at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, as the Maple Leafs hosts this showdown at 7:30 ET on NHLN. This Atlantic division matchup has an over/under of 6.5 goals, and the Maple Leafs are favored by -1.5 at home vs. the Lightning.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VS TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5

This game will be played at Scotiabank Arena at 7:30 ET on Monday, October 21st.

WHY BET THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS:

• Even though they are considered 1.5-goal underdogs, our projection points to a 4-3 win for the Lightning.
• We like the Lightning on the moneyline (+120)
• The Lightning are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Taking a Look at the Lightning Chances in Toronto

Tampa Bay suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 3-1-0 after a 5-4 defeat against the Senators. The Lightning, favored by -1.5 goals, failed to cover the puck line. The game’s total was set at 6.5 goals, but the 9 combined goals easily surpassed that mark.

After trailing 2-0 in the first period, the Lightning tied the game twice, but Ottawa pulled ahead for good with a goal at 18:56 in the second period. Four different players scored for Tampa Bay in the loss.

Tampa Bay’s offense was held scoreless in the first period before Nikita Kucherov’s 7th goal of the season got them on the board. Nick Paul added his first goal of the year, while Jake Guentzel and Mitchell Chaffee each found the net for the first time this season.

Anthony Cirelli picked up his 3rd assist of the season on Chaffee’s goal, and the Lightning ended the game with 8 assists. They took 29 shots on goal but were unable to convert on any power play opportunities.

Tampa Bay’s defense struggled early, conceding two goals in the first period. After tying the game at 3-3 in the second, they allowed another goal with just 1:04 left in the period, followed by a short-handed goal at 6:17 in the third. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves with a save percentage of 82.1%.

Can the Maple Leafs Offense Score Enough at Home?

Toronto’s 4-1 loss to the Rangers dropped their record to 3-2-0. The Maple Leafs were favored on the puck line, but failed to cover. The total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 5 fell short of that mark.

Auston Matthews scored Toronto’s only goal, cutting the deficit to 2-1 in the third period. The Rangers then added two empty-net goals to seal the win.

Toronto’s offense managed just one goal in their 4-1 loss to the Rangers, with Auston Matthews scoring his second goal of the season at 16:20 in the third period. The Maple Leafs fired 35 shots on goal but were held scoreless until Matthews found the net.

Toronto recorded 15 giveaways and didn’t capitalize on any power play opportunities. Oliver Ekman-Larsson picked up his fourth assist of the season, while Matthew Knies added his first assist on Matthews’ goal.

Toronto’s defense gave up the first two goals of the game, with the first coming at 8:16 in the first period and the second at 10:52 in the second. After the Maple Leafs cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third, they allowed two empty-net goals, resulting in a 4-1 loss. Anthony Stolarz made 25 saves with a 92.6% save percentage.