Apparently, reports of the demise of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions were greatly exaggerated.
After getting walloped 5-0 in their series opener at Toronto on Monday, the Tampa Bay Lightning responded with a convincing Game 2 victory in Canada on Wednesday. Now the series heads due south to Florida, with Lightning vs Maple Leafs odds revealing a virtual tossup — both for Game 3 Friday and the entire series.
Props.com examines Lightning vs Maple Leafs odds ahead of a pivotal Game 3.
Odds via PointsBet USA and updated as of 3:45 p.m. ET on May 6.
Game 3: Toronto Maple Leafs (1-1) vs Tampa Bay Lightning (1-1)
Puck drop/TV: 7:30 p.m. ET/TBS
Moneyline: Lightning -121/Maple Leafs +100
Puckline: Lightning -1.5 (+195)/Maple Leafs +1.5 (-245)
Total: 6.5 (Over -105/Under -115)
Series Price: Maple Leafs -110/Lightning -110
Game 2 Recap: Tampa Bay scored the first two goals less than three minutes apart spanning the end of the first and beginning of the second periods. The Lightning eventually built a 5-1 lead on the way to a 5-3 victory, after getting blanked 5-0 in Game 1.
Season Series: Toronto 4-2-0; Tampa Bay 2-3-1
Slap Shots
- Five Tampa Bay players put the puck in the net, including defenseman Victor Hedman and forward Nikita Kucherov. That pair also combined for five assists.
- Veteran goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy rebounded from a poor Game 1 performance to stop 31 of 34 shots, including all eight he faced in penalty-kill situations.
- After tallying three points (two goals, one assist) in his team’s Game 1 victory, Maple Leafs superstar center Auston Matthews added two assists in Game 2.
- Toronto goalie Jack Campbell, who stopped all 24 shots he faced in posting a Game 1 shutout, allowed three power-play goals alone on just nine shots.
- Both teams finished with 34 shots, but Tampa Bay’s special teams (3-for-7) was much more productive than Toronto’s (0-for-4). The Leafs are now just 1-for-10 in the series with a man advantage.
Streaks & Stats
The Maple Leafs’ four-game winning streak was halted in Wednesday’s defeat. It was their first regulation defeat since an 8-1 loss at Tampa Bay on April 21 (six games). Toronto is still 15-3-2 going back to March 27, tallying five-plus goals in 11 of those 20 contests.
The Lightning are 8-3 in their last 11 contests, and they won six of their final seven regular-season games at home. Tampa Bay has permitted 17 goals in its last four games.
Betting Nuggets
The Leafs are still 5-3 in the last eight clashes with the Lightning. … The total split in the first two meetings of this series. That said, the Over is still 9-2 in Tampa Bay’s last 11 overall, 11-4-5 in Toronto’s last 20 overall, and 4-1 in the last five series meetings. Also, the Over is 21-5-2 in Toronto’s last 28 road games. … The last five head-to-head clashes have been decided by multiple goals.
Game 3 Best Bet
Toronto +100 (moneyline)
Lightning vs Maple Leafs Odds and Action
UPDATE 3:45 P.M. ET FRIDAY: Tampa Bay is up the smallest of ticks on the Game 3 moneyline at PointsBet USA from -120 to -121, with Toronto remaining at +100. Roughly two-thirds of the action is on the Lightning at 65% wagers and 67% money. The total remains at 6.5, but the juice has moved a smidge from Under -120 to Under -115. The Over is catching 59% of the wagers and 65% of the cash at PointsBet.
UPDATE 12:15 P.M. ET FRIDAY: Tampa Bay landed on BetMGM’s Lightning vs Maple Leafs odds board for Game 3 as a -115 favorite at around midday ET Thursday and held there until inching up to -120 in the wee hours today. The moneyline remains Lightning -120/Maple Leafs +100, with the home team seeing 62% of wagers and 71% of money at BetMGM. The puckline shifted from an opener of Tampa Bay +220/Toronto -278 to Tampa Bay +195/Toronto -238. It’s all Lightning action on the puckline, at 82% bets/86% money.
Another high-scoring game is anticipated, as the total opened at 6.5 (Under -120). The juice initially adjusted to -110 both ways before returning to the opening number. Most of the early action at BetMGM is on the Over, at 80% wagers/90% cash.
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