Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Playoff Series Preview
For the second straight season, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning will face off in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Lightning made their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2022, but there looks to finally be some holes in their armor, which has the Maple Leafs listed as favorites to take them down in Round 1. Toronto Maple Leafs (-150) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (+125)
Tampa Bay Lightning
A year ago, the Maple Leafs were also listed as Round 1 favorites and also had a home-ice advantage against the Bolts. Toronto couldn’t exorcise their playoff demons, dropping Game 6 and 7 to Tampa Bay and leading to another deep playoff run by this Lightning dynasty. The Bolts could be over the regular season grind, but flaws are appearing this season that we haven’t seen in previous years. Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy are two of the NHL’s biggest superstars but have had mediocre stretches, begging the question as to whether they are burnt out. If Vasilevskiy can’t steal at least two games for the Lightning, it’s hard to see them making it past Toronto.
Toronto Maple Leafs
This is, without a doubt, the best version of the Maple Leafs that management has iced with their current core. General manager Kyle Dubas made several moves ahead of the trade deadline, focusing on adding players who have won and play a playoff hockey brand. Ryan O’Reilly and Jake McCabe could be difference-makers, even if they don’t always appear on the scoresheet. The Leafs have been missing those types of glue guys. They have solidified the team’s depth, providing an element Toronto lacked in previous runs. Toronto also has a goaltender that finally stacks up with the competition. Ilya Samsonov won’t give you an edge against Vasilevskiy, but he’ll be competitive every night.
Verdict
This isn’t the same Maple Leafs (how many times have you heard that before?), but we’re not going to go as far as saying they will definitely make a deep playoff run. The biggest hurdle for the Leafs is past failure. However, if they advance to the second round, watch out. It’s time for the Leafs to make the jump, and they have an excellent opportunity in front of them right now.
Best Bet: Maple Leafs to win Series (-150), Maple Leafs to win Series in 6 Games (+470)
