The NHL returns this week following a short break for the Winter Olympics, as the Tampa Bay Lightning play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.
Tampa come into the game with a 37-14-4 record so far, including wins in each of their last five games before the break. Toronto, on the other hand, have a 27-19-9 record for the campaign, having won each of their last three games.
We’ll break down the match-up between the sides and provide you with our best free NHL betting picks, as we try to earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the ice.
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Tampa started the campaign poorly, picking up just one win in their first six games, including overtime defeats against the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings, before they finally found their form.
Five wins in a row against the Anaheim Ducks, Vegas Golden Knights, Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, and Utah Mammoth helped them to get back on track and build some momentum. That streak ended with a defeat to the Colorado Avalanche, before victories and defeats alternated in their following five games as well.
The Lightning followed that up with an exciting seven-game winning streak against the likes of the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, and Edmonton Oilers, finishing November with a 16-7-2 record.
But December started poorly as Tampa lost four in a row, including against the Maple Leafs, and six of their first nine of the month to fall down the rankings following some disappointing performances. However, since then, the Lightning have gone an extraordinary run.
Tampa won their final five games in December, before winning 11 of their 13 games in January, and their first three games in February to power back up the standings, and they come into this game with an overall record of 37-14-4 following the Winter Olympics break.
Toronto started their campaign hoping to improve on last year, but they lost two of their first three games, both against Detroit, in disappointing fashion. The Maple Leafs bounced back with five wins in their next eight games to achieve a 5-5-1 record in October.
November was once again a disappointing month, but they started it better with three wins in a row, defeating Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Utah. However, five defeats in a row followed, including an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings. The Maple Leafs went 3-2-1 to end November, including overtime wins against the St Louis Blues and Columbus.
December saw the team win three of their first five, with the other two going to overtime, but they lost four of their next five games, including three-in-a-row against Washington, Nashville, and Dallas. However, they then went on a sensational run of eight wins in ten games into the middle of January to build some momentum.
But the team fell back into struggles with eight defeats in their next nine games following that, including a run of six-in-a-row, before winning their last three games before the break.
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The NHL standings tell you that the Tampa Bay Lightning are favorites to come out on top in this match up, and it would be quite the surprise if they didn’t find success.
In the 45 times this season that the Lightning have been a moneyline favorite, they have gone 30-15 in those games, and when their odds have been -238 or shorter they have gone 3-1. Alternatively, when the Maple Leafs have been an underdog they have gone 11-14 this season, and the only time their price was +195 or more they won.
Tampa have also been averaging 3.6 goals per game this season, scoring 199 times, which ranks their offense at fourth in the NHL this season. Compare that to the Toronto defense which has allowed 194 goals this season, an average of 3.4 goals per game, which ranks them at 28th in the NHL, and it’s clear where the difference in quality lies.
The break will have done the team good, too, as they look to ensure they don’t fall away at the end of the season and miss out on a playoff run-in for a second consecutive campaign. They’re too good to not take advantage, and they can make their intentions clear with a win here.
At odds of -238, considering both teams have had a nice break to recharge and reset after a busy first half of the season, is great value to get the team top of the Atlantic Division to beat the team second from bottom at home, so take it while you can.
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About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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