Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Game 2 Best Bets

After getting their doors blown off by the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their playoff series, how will the Toronto Maple Leafs respond in tonight’s Game 2?

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

To say that the Maple Leafs started Game 1 flat would be an understatement. The other way you can look at it is that the Lightning showed us they aren’t dead yet, even if we’ve been discussing their demise heading into the postseason. It was evident in Game 1 that the Lightning came prepared from puck drop, while the Maple Leafs were on their heels all game and didn’t look comfortable. 

It’s interesting to look into how this series played out last year, where the Lightning also won in seven games. In that first go-around, the Maple Leafs slaughtered the Lightning in Game 1, while Tampa Bay returned the favor this time around. Toronto’s still listed as home favorites on the moneyline for Game 2 tonight at -172, while the Lightning are priced at +142. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the Lightning will be starting Andrei Vasilevskiy while the Maple Leafs are countering with Ilya Samsonov. It’s a small sample with just one game played, but Vasilevskiy is 1-0 with a .903 save percentage, while Samsonov is 0-1 with a .793 save percentage. Even if those numbers are overblown with just one game to look at, Vasilevskiy does give the Lightning an edge in goal, no matter how you look at it. 

With question marks about who will be active for the Lightning on defense in this matchup, the Maple Leafs have the offensive skill to perform in this Game 2. Vasilevskiy undoubtedly makes things difficult, but the Maple Leafs will have much more urgency from the start of this contest. We like for them to even up the series, even if their price at -172 isn’t that appealing.  

Best Bet: Maple Leafs moneyline (-172) 

The first matchup in this series saw ten goals scored. The total for tonight’s set at 6.5, with the over priced at +100, while the under is sitting at -122. In their playoff matchup last year, the first and seventh games ultimately went under the number, while games two through six went over. Is it possible we see the opposite trend transpire here? It’s certainly in the realm of possibility, especially when you factor in that the under has some juice attached to it at -122. It’s hard to see there being as much time and space as there was in Game 1 tonight in Game 2, meaning backing the under has some value to buy in on at -122. 

Best Bet: Under 6.5 (-122) 

There are not many pieces on this Maple Leafs team that don’t need to be called out after their Game 1 performance. One of the bigger disappointments was the play we saw from Mitch Marner. The star winger was a ghost in the opening game and didn’t look comfortable from the drop of the puck. If the Maple Leafs have aspirations of a deep playoff run, Marner has to be at the forefront of their offensive production. After his letdown performance in Game 1, Marner is priced at +200 to find the back of the net, and there’s too much value in that price to pass it up. 

Best Prop: Mitch Marner to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+200)