Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs will clash on Thursday evening in Game 6 of the NHL playoffs. The hosts play for their life in this series, and they need a victory to extend the series. The away side defended the home-ice advantage, and they will seek success on the road.
Tampa Bay is on the verge of finishing its playoffs mission in the first round. However, the defending champions won’t give up on their chances to stay in the Stanley Cup race. On the other hand, Toronto is one victory away from proceeding to the conference semi-finals. The visitors need a win on the road to wrap up this series.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Can they secure a decider?
The Lightning had a great opportunity to take the lead in this series, but they suffered a 4-3 defeat on Tuesday evening. They opened the match excellently and were 2-0 ahead after the first third. However, their performance in the final period wasn’t good enough to defend the advantage and snatch a positive result on the road. They won 13 faceoffs less than their rivals, but, on the other hand, the Lightning fired ten shots more than the Maple Leafs. However, a narrow defeat brought them in a position to stay halfway to the conference semi-finals.
Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov have produced the most points for the Lightning’s offense during the post-season, having seven apiece. Kucherov is the team’s best assistant with six, while Ross Colton tops the scoring charts with three goals. Ondrej Palat has contributed to Tampa bay’s offense with four pts, while Brandon Hagel, Ryan McDonagh, Alex Killorn, and Steven Stamkos have chipped in with three points each. Regarding the goaltending, Andrei Vasilevskiy has spent all the time between the pipes for Tampa Bay, having a .880 save percentage.
Expected Line-Up: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jan Rutta, Victor Hedman, Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat, Steven Stamkos
with best odds
Toronto Maple Leafs – Will they eliminate the defending champions?
The Maple Leafs got away with a win in the most recent match after celebrating 4-3. Although they trailed 2-0 after the first period, they didn’t lose fate and produced a great comeback. Excellent performance in the final third led their way to success, and Toronto is one victory away from the conference semi-finals. However, the Maple Leafs should improve their game to stun the two-time defending champions on the road.
Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner have led the Maple Leafs’ offense in the playoffs with seven points each. Morgan Rielly and William Nylander have produced five points apiece, while Ilya Mikheyev and John Tavares have four. Also, three other skaters managed to contribute to Toronto’s offense with three points each. On the other hand, Jack Campbell has been the first-choice goalie for the Maple Leafs in the post-season, allowing 3.40 goals per contest and having a .895 save percentage.
Expected Line-Up: Jack Campbell, Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, William Nylander, John Tavares, Auston Matthews
Expert Pick #1 – Over 6.5 @-115
This series has been pretty productive, and we saw seven or more goals in the last four encounters between these two sides. I expect another exciting clash of these two explosive offenses, and it should go over the margin. Give me the Over as the first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Lightning to win @-140
The two-times defending champions won’t step away quietly in this tie. Although they are in a tough position, I see them bouncing back and securing the chance to continue their playoffs campaign in Game 7. Therefore, I’ll go with the hosts as my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Lightning to Win & Both Teams Over 1.5 @+205
Both teams have been very good in the offense during this series, and I expect them to continue in the same fashion. If they score at least two goals apiece and the Lightning win, we’ll get excellent returns. The odds are pretty high, and I’m going to back this one as the third pick.
