The Tampa Bay Lightning (3-1-0) take on the Toronto Maple Leafs (3-2-0) Monday. Puck drop from the Scotiabank Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. ET (NHL Network). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Lightning vs. Maple Leafs odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; tied 2-2 last season
The Bolts lost their 1st game of the season Saturday 5-4 in Ottawa. They got down 2-0 after 1 and scored 3 goals in the 2nd but couldn’t quite get over the hump. RW Nikita Kucherov is off to the races with 7 goals and 2 assists through 4 games.
The Leafs fell 4-1 to the New York Rangers Saturday as -120 favorites. That snapped their 3-game winning streak. C Auston Matthews scored his 2nd goal of the season. He has just 2 goals and 2 assists in the early going. The Leafs are 4th in SOG at 32.8 per game but tied for 17th at 3.0 goals per game.
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Lightning at Maple Leafs odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at 2:30 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Lightning +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Maple Leafs -130 (bet $130 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Lightning +1.5 (-210) | Maple Leafs -1.5 (+170)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Lightning at Maple Leafs projected goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy (3-1-0, 1.67 GAA, .901 SV%) vs. Anthony Stolarz (2-2-0, 1.79 GAA, .937 SV%)
“Vassy” looks back to his All-World self after a slow start last year due to back surgery. He did struggle a bit last time out, though, allowing the Senators to score 5 goals on 28 shots. He beat Toronto in his only meeting against them last season, stopping 28 of 29 en route to a 4-1 win.
If this is for real, the Leafs could be Stanley Cup Finals bound. Stolarz was 16-7-2 with a 2.03 GAA backing up Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida last year. His .937 SV% is 9th in the league. Of his last 3 starts, he allowed just 2 goals in each and has allowed 7 in 4 starts.
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Lightning at Maple Leafs picks and predictions
Prediction
Lightning 3, Maple Leafs 2
Moneyline
The Lightning have scored 4 goals in 4 straight games. They have already gone to Carolina and beat the Canes in a tough environment. I look for the same to occur in Toronto, as the Leafs have yet to click consistently under new coach Craig Berube.
Take the LIGHTNING +110.
Puck line/Against the spread
There is a prop that IMMEDIATELY stands out. NIKITA KUCHEROV ANYTIME GOAL +130. His game goal logs thus far: 3, 1, 2, 1. In 4 games against Toronto last year, he had 5 goals and 7 assists.
Over/Under
I’m taking the Under here. The Leafs are 1-4 O/U, and Tampa is 2-2 O/U thus far. Toronto’s offense really isn’t clicking, and even if Tampa continues its streak of 4-goal games, I still like UNDER 6.5 (-110).
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