Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning will face each other in the NHL 2021-22 playoffs first round. The hosts want to keep winning and secure the home-ice advantage. The away side looks forward to defending the Stanley Cup, and they eye an upset at the start of the series.
It is going to be one of the most interesting series of the first round in the post-season, where Toronto faces the defending champions. Nevertheless, the home side is full of confidence, and they are determined to go far in the playoffs. On the other hand, Tampa Bay will have a challenging task at the first step toward another Stanley Cup. However, the visitors have stabilized their game, and they will search for a positive result on the road.
Toronto Maple Leafs – Can they beat the defending champions?
The Maple Leafs enter the post-season after three straight wins to wrap up the regular season. They booked seven wins on the previous nine occasions, finishing 2nd in the Atlantic Division with a 54-21-7 record. It will be their third straight game on the home ice, and in the most recent one, they were better than the Boston Bruins 5-2. Toronto had one shot more than their rivals, while William Nylander led them to success by scoring a brace. Erik Kallgren got the chance to make an appearance between the pipes, and he had a very good .923 save percentage, conceding just twice from 26 shots.
Auston Matthews has been the most efficient player for the Maple Leafs in the regular season, topping the scoring charts with 60 goals and producing a total of 106 points. Mitchell Marner has contributed with 97 points while being the team’s best assistant with 62. William Nylander managed to reach the 80-point mark, while John Tavares is in the 70s. A pair of skaters chipped in with 60 or more points for the Maple Leafs’ offense. Regarding the goaltending, Jack Campbell enjoyed most of the action, having a .914 save percentage and allowing 2.64 goals per contest.
Expected Line-Up: Jack Campbell, Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, William Nylander, John Tavares, Auston Matthews
with best odds
Tampa Bay Lightning – Will they challenge for another Stanley Cup?
The Lightning have improved their form ahead of the post-season, winning eight times in the previous eleven rounds. That streak secured them a finish in the 3rd spot in the Atlantic Division, having a 51-23-8 record. Tampa Bay lost just once on the previous six occasions, and they head to this series full of confidence. The Lightning were better than the New York Islanders in a 6-4 win, where Steven Stamkos scored three goals while Ondrej Palat logged three assists.
Steven Stamkos has led the Lightning’s offense during the regular season with 106 points, including a team-high 42 goals. Victor Hedman is Tampa Bay’s best assistant with 65 while producing a total of 85 pts. Nikita Kucherov is just one point away from the 70-point mark, while Alex Killorn and Brayden Point are in the 50s. Also, three other skaters have chipped in with 40+ pts in the Lightning’s offense. On the other hand, Andrei Vasilevskiy has been the first-choice goalie for Tampa Bay, making 63 appearances and conceding 2.49 goals per contest.
Expected Line-Up: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jan Rutta, Victor Hedman, Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat, Steven Stamkos
Expert Pick #1 – Maple Leafs to win (Inc. OT and Pen.) @-130
Although the Lightning are the defending champions, and they don’t want to end the campaign in the first round, I’ll back the hosts as my first pick. Toronto is tired of losing on the first step to the Stanley cup, and I believe they can open this exciting series with a win.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 6.5 @-120
The Over cashed many times for both teams lately, but I’ll go with the Under as my second bet. Although eight of the Lightning’s last nine matches went over the margin and five of their previous seven h2h matches were high-scoring, I expect a more cautious approach here. The margin is quite high, and the Under could be a good choice here.
Expert Pick #3 – Tampa Bay Lightning Under 2.5 @+130
My third pick will be much riskier since I’ll back the hosts to hold the rivals under a 2.5 margin. They managed to do that three times on the previous five occasions, and the plus money odds on this one are quite tempting.
