Light the Lamps in Lightning vs. Maple Leafs

Lightning vs. Maple Leafs, Game 1, 7:30 ET

I was able to take the win in the game I wrote about yesterday, Islanders vs. Hurricanes. It was a low scoring game - in fact, only one game saw over five goals and that could be a trend here early in the postseason. Always nice to get the first win out of the way, but there is still work to be done and we shift to the other series that start today. Let's try to make it two in a row.

As a somewhat casual hockey fan, there are only a few teams that I think I should be scared of in the playoffs this season. One of those teams is the Tampa Bay Lightning. Maybe they aren't quite as good as year's past, but they certainly still have enough players from their championship runs that they can take games on the road and not be intimidated. The concern I have for the Lightning is they have allowed 3.07 goals per game on average. That's one of the higher averages of teams in the playoffs. They also kind of limped into the playoffs with four losses in the last five games. They sandwiched a three-game winning streak between two four-game losing streaks and then won the final game of the season against Detriot. Their last loss came against the Maple Leafs and was a home game for the Lightning.

Toronto has the capability to hoist the trophy, but I'm not sure that they are going to get there. I think Tampa does have a shot to win this series, but the way the Maple Leafs ended the year, they certainly are the team in better form. Their defense has allowed three goals in just one of their past six games. You know that Tampa Bay can score as fast as... well... Lightning. You get my point, puns and stupid jokes aside. For Toronto to win this series, the defense is going to need to be what they showcased the last six games and maybe even the last, roughly 30 days. They are going to want to get the monkey off their back as Toronto has been bounced from the first round in each of the past six years. I'm looking for them to make a statement here and try to keep the Lightning off the board as much as possible.

What you're looking to do and what you actually do are often two very different things. Toronto is looking to play a great defensive game. Tampa will look for as many shots as possible and probably push the pace. I'm going to take the over 6 in this game at +100. Even though this is a playoff matchup, I do think that this could even end 4-3 as two of the three games between the two already ended.

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