Expert prediction
NHL Playoffs Game 2: Lightning vs Maple Leafs Prediction, Odds, and Picks (Apr 20)
Pick rationale
Analysis & key factors
- Toronto Maple Leafs handed a huge 7-3 home defeat in game one
- Tampa Bay Lightning bidding to take 2-0 series advantage
The Toronto Maple Leafs and their curse in the NHL playoffs continued in game one of their series against the Tampa Bay Lighting. The Leafs, chasing a first playoff series win since 2004, were hammered at the Scotiabank Arena. There will need to be a response in game two of the series on Thursday evening.
How To Watch
- When: Thursday, April 20, 2023, at 7:00 p.m ET
- Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
- How To Watch: NHL TV
Odds
| Lightning | Maple Leafs |
|---|---|
Team News
The nightmare in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the Toronto Maple Leafs continued on Tuesday evening, as they were handed an embarrassing 7-3 defeat at the Scotiabank Arena by the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Leafs found themselves 3-0 down after the opening period, and 6-2 behind after the second.
It was the worst possible outcome for the Leafs, as they failed to answer any question posed to them before the start of the series. A big area of concern moving forward is in goal, as Joseph Wall and Ilya Samsonov allowed seven goals between them from just 34 shots.
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Toronto’s pain was certainly to the Lightning’s gain, as they capitalized on every mistake made by the Leafs on night one of this series. Tampa started the quicker of the two teams, and from that point, they were able to pick apart the Leafs in a menacing nature at the Scotiabank.
Brayden Point enjoyed an excellent night, as he scored twice. Meanwhile, the goals were shared around, with Nikita Kucherov, Corey Perry, Anthony Cirelli, Ross Colton, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare also finding the net. The pressure will be on the Leafs in game two, but the Lightning and their dominance in game one shouldn’t be overlooked.
Picks
There will be intense pressure on the Leafs coming into game two on Thursday, and a defeat is not something that will be tolerated. However, the toxic atmosphere around the Scotiabank could once again play into the hands of the Lightning, and we could see them cruising to a second straight win.
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