Lightning vs Leafs Game 1 Odds, Lines & Predictions

• It’s a rematch of last year’s first-round series when the Lightning and Maple Leafs meet in Game 1 on Tuesday, April 18th
• Tampa took last year’s matchup in 7 games en route to their 3rd straight Finals appearance
• Check out the Lightning vs Maple Leafs odds for Game 1 below as well as our best bet and pick

Here we go again. For the second year in a row, the Lightning and Maple Leafs do battle in the first round of the NHL Playoff Bracket, with Game 1 taking place on Tuesday, April 18th from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Faceoff for this contest is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET in a game that will be televised on ESPN, CBC and Sportsnet. Ghosts of playoffs past will follow the Maple Leafs around until they’re able to emerge with their first postseason series victory since 2004.

Below, we provide the Lightning vs Maple Leafs odds for their initial postseason confrontation this year and also offer up our best bet and prediction.

Lightning vs Maple Leafs Game 1 Odds

Toronto finished the season 13 points ahead of a Tampa side that faltered down the stretch, losing eight of their final 12 contests. With that recent decline in mind, the Maple Leafs have been made -155 home favorites for this affair.

At the outset of the season, Tampa was top five chalk in the Stanley Cup odds, but those chances have since lengthened and they currently sit just inside the top 10 with +1700 odds. Toronto is the 3rd betting favorite at +900.

Odds as of April 17th at DraftKings Sportsbook. 

Lightning Underdogs to Maple Leafs in Game 1

When they hooked up last year, the Maple Leafs pounced on the Lightning in Game 1, defeating them 5-0, the largest margin of victory in the series. Most feel Toronto has the advantage to get revenge in the Lightning vs Maple Leafs series this time around, but one area where Tampa should have a significant edge is goaltending.

Not even 30 years old yet, Andrei Vasilevskiy has over 100 playoff games under his belt, owning a 63-38 record, 2.30 goals against average, .923 save percentage, two Stanley Cup titles and one Conn Smythe trophy. That’s quite the resume.

Ranking every NHL playoff team’s goalie tandem: Is Andrei Vasilevskiy and Tampa No. 1?

By ⁦@harmandayal2⁩ https://t.co/5wkCVIBTd4

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 15, 2023

For the Maple Leafs, it will be their third new starting goaltender in the last four postseasons. Ilya Samsonov acquitted himself quite nicely this campaign, actually finishing with better regular-season numbers than his counterpart. However, he’s been dealing with some bumps and bruises over the last month and has only one victory in seven career playoff starts.

The Leafs have all hands on deck and are ready to go for Game 1, while Tampa will be without trade deadline acquisition, Tanner Jeannot. It was initially feared that the physical winger would be out of action for months, but based on recent reports, he should return to the ice at some point in this series.

Jon Cooper on Tanner Jeannot: “He’s definitely not going in Game 1, but what went from week-to-week has definitely been trimmed down to day-to-day.”

— Chris Krenn (@Chris_Krenn) April 17, 2023

Lightning vs Maple Leafs History

It feels like all the pressure is on Toronto here. They are the favorites in the NHL odds, and have the most depth and experience of any squad in the Matthews/Marner era. In the last regular season matchup between these two, Toronto defeated the Lightning although they sat out their two best forwards.

Lightning vs Maple Leafs Results This Season

During the regular season, Toronto took two of the three head-to-head clashes, with Tampa needing overtime to notch their only victory over the Leafs.

Many questions surrounding the Buds revolved around how Sheldon Keefe would deploy his lines and it appears he’ll be stacking his first two units with recent pickup Ryan O’Reilly centering the second unit with John Tavares and William Nylander on the flanks.

Lightning vs Maple Leafs Prediction

On paper, this series belongs to the Leafs. They have more depth and their superstars are now in the prime of their careers, while most of Tampa’s best players have a ton of miles on their bodies. Nevertheless, the games are played on the ice, not on paper.

Lightning vs Maple Leafs Same-Game Parlay Picks

Having said that, it’s tough to just turn a switch and only two teams had more losses than the Bolts since March 19th. The only way we see Tampa taking this one is if Vasilevskiy steals it.

Expect Toronto to come out and make a statement right from the drop of the puck and win this one emphatically.

Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs Puck Line -1.5 (+170)