The Toronto Maple Leafs, fueled by Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner, are ready to take the ice against Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena in an Atlantic Division showdown. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 25, and you’ll be able to see it live on Fox Sports Sun.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
The Lightning (-185) are currently favored over the Maple Leafs (+160) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -130 money on the over and +110 on the under.
Earning 5.0 units for moneyline bettors, Tampa Bay is 40-22 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, ranked first in the league in this young season, is a regression from the 62-20 record that the team posted during the 2018-19 season campaign. Of the team’s 62 games this season, 32 have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under and just three have pushed. The team’s 20-9 SU at home this year.
The Lightning have converted on 23.5 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked seventh overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 82.7 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 28.3 saves per game with a .916 save percentage, Andrei Vasilevskiy (32-14-3) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Bolts this season. If head coach Jon Cooper chooses to give him a rest, however, the team may turn to Curtis McElhinney (8-8-8 record, .911 save percentage, 2.76 goals against average).
Toronto has lost 11.3 units for moneyline bettors this year and is currently 32-31 straight up (SU). 36 of its contests have gone over the total, while 25 have gone under the total and just two have pushed. As the visiting team, the Maple Leafs are 16-15 SU.
The Maple Leafs have scored on 23.6 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 27th overall and it’s successfully killed off 76.1 percent of all penalties.
Frederik Andersen (27.6 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for Toronto. Andersen has 25 wins, 22 losses, and six overtime losses to his credit, and has registered a .906 save percentage and 2.98 goals against average this year.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Free Picks
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The Maple Leafs (1-4 in shootouts) has more shootout experience coming into this one. The Lightning, however, emerged victorious in both of its shootouts this year.
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in four of their last five outings.
- Toronto’s attempted 33.2 shots per contest overall this season (the second-most in the NHL), and 28.4 in its last five road outings.
- Over Toronto’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
- The Bolts this season have recorded the seventh-most hits per game in the NHL (23.7), but the club has averaged 32.2 over their past five games as the home team.
