The NHL season has delivered some great games and incredible drama, and that action is only going to get better from her. On Wednesday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning are set to visit the Toronto Maple Leafs for what should be a big game.
Tampa Bay is currently sitting in fourth place in the Atlantic Division and they need to pick up some more wins before the playoffs start. The Lightning have gone 3-1 in their last four games, and that momentum could matter in this game.
Toronto has won three straight games ahead of this matchup to move up to third place in the Atlantic. The Maple Leafs now have 95 points on the season, but they still have work to do to stay there.
When looking at the moneyline odds, the Maple Leafs are favored at -130, while the Lightning are at +110.
Tampa Bay Must Defend
The Tampa Bay Lightning are going to have to find a way to defend if they are going to get into the postseason and make a run this season. Tampa Bay is allowing over 3.2 goals per game, and that’s just not going to be good enough to get the job done.
The Lighting have actually killed off 83 percent of their penalties this season, but they have really struggled when both teams are at full strength. Scoring goals has not been an issue for this team as they are scoring 3.46 goals per game.
Nikita Kucherov is playing like an MVP this season as he leads the team with 42 goals and 85 assists on the year. Kucherov will need some help in this game, but he has enough talented teammates to get that done.
Maple Leafs Rolling on Offense
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the most explosive teams in the league this season as they are scoring 3.65 goals per game. Auston Matthews is another MVP candidate as he has scored 62 goals so far this season.
Toronto wants to attack teams on the power play as they have converted nearly 25 percent of the time. Even though the Lightning are good on the power play, this team has been able to score on anyone.
The Maple Leafs have also struggled to get stops throughout the year, but this team has been better in that area of late.
Lightning Get it Done
These are two teams that are looking for momentum ahead of the playoffs, and that will create a great battle in this one. Toronto has been better on both offense and defense, but there are still some flaws on this roster.
Tampa Bay has started to figure some things out on defense, and that could allow them to slow down the Maple Leafs in this matchup. The Lightning have a roster full of proven veterans, and that will allow them to come up with big plays in this matchup.
Look for the Lightning to come up with a slight upset in this game as they beat the Maple Leafs at +110 on the moneyline.
