Toronto Maple Leafs vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction: Will 20 Years of Defeats End Today?

Prediction for the NHL Toronto Maple Leafs vs Tampa Bay Lightning match which will take place on April 19th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available. 

The Maple Leafs were in the same division as Boston, and Sheldon Keefe's team could not reach the playoffs from first place. So the entire regular season for Toronto was a preparation for the game with Tampa Bay. It was evident that the Maple Leafs and Lightning would take second and third places in the Atlantic Division. Last year, Toronto lost to Tampa Bay 3-4, the sixth defeat in the first round for the Canadian team. Moreover, Toronto has not won a single playoff series since 2004. In the 2022/23 regular season, the Maple Leafs won 50 games out of 82, scoring 111 points. The Russian goalkeeper Ilya Samsonov will most likely defend the Leafs' goal in the playoffs.

Tampa Bay is the most successful NHL team in recent seasons. The Lightning have reached the Stanley Cup finals three years in a row and won the trophy twice. According to the last eight seasons, Tampa Bay has struggled twice more in the conference finals and once in the fight for the Stanley Cup. The Lightning has a good chance to confirm the status of the most successful team in recent years.

At the end of the regular season, John Cooper's team stopped playing and worsened their statistics, but they finished the championship with 46 wins in 82 matches. Tampa Bay was eighth in attack (3.41) and 14th in defense (3.07). The best hockey goalkeeper of our time, Andrei Vasilevsky, is ready to turn on turbo mode in the playoffs. According to the regular season results, Vasilevsky has 34-22 in 60 starts and 91.5% of saves.

At the end of the regular season, Tampa Bay was doing nothing, and John Cooper's team will need the first match of the playoffs to get back into the game. Toronto confidently won the Lightning in the first home game 5-0 in last year's series. So, it may happen again. We bet on the Maple Leafs.