Tampa Bay Lightning (53-26-8) vs Toronto Maple Leafs (57-23-7)
Thursday, May 12, 2022 at 7:30 pm
At 7:30 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Maple Leafs won a huge Game 5 on Tuesday at home, defeating the Bolts 4-3 to take a 3-2 series lead. Technically, tonight in Tampa is not a must-win situation, but the last thing the Leafs want to do is give the defending two-time Stanley Cup Champions a chance at a Game 7 back in Toronto -- especially considering how close Game 5 was. Key to the Tuesday night victory was Toronto Coach Sheldon Keefe showing confidence in goalie Jack Campbell after he fell apart in Game 4 (5 goals in 16 shots) and was replaced in the 3rd period by his back-up, Erik Kallgren. Keefe stuck with Campbell for Game 5 and the veteran net-minder came through, stopping 32 of 35 shots (.914) from one of the top scoring teams in hockey. On the other side, Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had his second sub-par game in a row, allowing four goals on just 25 shots (.840). With the Tuesday loss, the Bolts are now 5-12 in their last 17 games vs. teams with a winning % above .600. Take the Maple Leafs. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.