Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Odds, Pick, Prediction 4/21/22
The 2021-22 NHL season continues Thursday, April 21, with the Atlantic Division showdown at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, so we have prepared the best Maple Leafs vs. Lightning betting pick and odds.
According to BetOnline Sportsbook, the Lightning are small home favorites, while the totals are listed at 6.5 goals. Toronto and Tampa Bay wrap up their four-game regular-season series, and the Maple Leafs look to clinch it after winning two of their previous three meetings with the Bolts in 2021-22.
The Maple Leafs eye their fifth straight victory
The Toronto Maple Leafs (51-20-6) are coming off a 5-2 home victory over the lowly Philadelphia Flyers last Tuesday. Five different players found the back of the net for the Maple Leafs, while Jack Campbell posted 37 saves to improve to 30-9-5 on the season.
Toronto extended its winning streak to four games, and Campbell has started three times in that span. The 30-year-old netminder owns a 2.69 GAA and .913 save percentage. He should get another starting call Thursday when Toronto visits the reigning champions.
The Maple Leafs are sitting at the second spot in the Eastern Conference. They trail the top-seeded Florida Panthers by huge eight points, while the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers are only a couple of points behind the Maple Leafs.
The Lightning just failed to beat Detroit
The Tampa Bay Lightning (46-22-8) are coming off a surprising 4-3 defeat to the Detroit Red Wings this past Tuesday. Playing as massive -550 moneyline favorites on the home ice, the reigning champs failed to extend their winning streak to three games. Also, it was their sixth defeat in the last nine outings at any location.
The Bolts outshot the Red Wings 41-31, and Steven Stamkos accounted for three assists, but Andrei Vasilevskiy had another bad day in the office. The 27-year-old goalie yielded four goals on 31 shots, and Vasilevskiy has recorded only one victory in his last six starts. He owns a 35-18-5 record, 2.49 GAA, and .916 save percentage.
Vasilevskiy is projected to guard the cage against the Maple Leafs. The Lightning hope to get back to winning ways and stay alive in the race for the No. 3 seed in the East. They are six points behind the Rangers and Hurricanes.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Pick
The Maple Leafs have won 11 of their last 13 contests. They’ll try to stay on the winning track even though Auston Matthews is questionable to play after missing the previous two games due to an injury. On the other side, the Lightning have struggled a lot in the second half of the season. The reigning champions will try to bounce back in this tough matchup, and they can count on all their key players.
I’m expecting a tight contest, and despite the teams’ current form, give me the hosts to win straight up. Andrei Vasilevsky will do a much better job than he did against the Red Wings, and the Lightning certainly possess enough offensive firepower to deal with the Maple Leafs. Toronto is yielding 3.06 goals per game (18th in the NHL).
Pick: Take Tampa Bay Lightning at -110
The Total:
The first duel of the season between Toronto and Tampa saw only three goals on the scoreboard, while the previous two produced eight goals in the total each. The total has gone over in eight of Toronto’s last 12 outings and eight of Tampa Bay’s previous 11, so you won’t have a dilemma if you like to follow the betting trends.
I don’t feel comfortable with a 6.5-goal line, and if Andrei Vasilevskiy finally puts on a strong performance, we won’t see a proper high-scoring affair. On the other hand, Toronto could easily struggle to defend. The Maple Leafs have allowed 27 goals in their last eight outings.
Pick: Go over 6.5 goals at -120