Tampa Bay (28-8-2) at Toronto (23-15-2)
When: Tuesday, January 2nd 2018
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Time: 7:05 ET | TV: FS Sun, Sportsnet Ontario
Opening Odds: Tampa Bay -111/6
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The Toronto Maple Leafs return from a long road trip and try to get things going again when they host the NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night at Air Canada Centre. Toronto was neck-and-neck with Tampa Bay for most of the season, but now trail the Lightning by 10 points after a 3-5-1 mark over the last nine after a 6-3 setback at Vegas on Sunday. The Lightning opened their five-game road trip with a dominating performance on Sunday, winning for the 11th time in 13 games as they scored four second-period goals en route to a 5-0 victory at Columbus. Tampa Bay is 9-1-0 following a loss this season and showed that bounce-back ability again Sunday, after a poor performance against Philadelphia two nights earlier, as Tyler Johnson and league scoring leader Nikita Kucherov increased their point streaks to 12 and 10 games, respectively. The Lightning are 6-2-1 in the last nine games against the Maple Leafs and won in their last two trips to Air Canada Centre.
Johnson moved to right wing at the end of November and it has paid dividends for the team and Johnson, who has recorded eight goals and 10 assists in the last 12 games. Kucherov leads all of the NHL in goals (25) and points (56) after putting up eight and 20, respectively, in the month of December. Captain Steven Stamkos has been putting the puck on net more often and recorded four goals in his last three games to push his point total to 49. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy earned his league-leading fifth shutout Sunday and tops the NHL is wins (25), goals-against average (2.02) and save percentage (.935).
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Center Auston Matthews missed 10 games with a concussion, but came back with four goals in four games and eclipsed the 100-point plateau in his 112th NHL game. Defenseman Morgan Rielly boasts six assists in his last four games and right wing William Nylander has three goals and four helpers in his past six games. Goaltender Frederik Andersen, who is 1-4-0 with an .842 SP career against the Lightning, gave up 14 goals in his first seven appearances in December before allowing nine in the past two games. Center Nazem Kadri (13 goals) missed the last two games with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day.
The Leafs are a little bit of a mess right now and the Lightning will bounce on them early and often. Vasilevskiy is the best netminder in the league right now and will have another solid game.
Pick: Lightning -130
- Lightning are 4-1 in their last 5 when their opponent allows 5 goals or more in their previous game.
- Lightning are 8-2 in their last 10 games following a win.
- Lightning are 4-1 in their last 5 Tuesday games.
- Lightning are 4-1 in their last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.
- Lightning are 17-5 in their last 22 vs. Atlantic.
- Lightning are 20-6 in their last 26 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Lightning are 23-7 in their last 30 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
- Lightning are 20-7 in their last 27 games playing on 1 days rest.
- Lightning are 19-7 in their last 26 road games.
- Lightning are 40-15 in their last 55 overall.
- Lightning are 8-3 in their last 11 after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game.
- Lightning are 5-2 in their last 7 in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 situation.
- Lightning are 30-66 in their last 96 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
- Maple Leafs are 4-1 in their last 5 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days.
- Maple Leafs are 4-1 in their last 5 when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game.
- Maple Leafs are 7-2 in their last 9 home games.
- Maple Leafs are 8-3 in their last 11 after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game.
- Maple Leafs are 7-3 in their last 10 games following a loss of 3 or more goals.
- Maple Leafs are 17-35 in their last 52 in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 situation.
- Maple Leafs are 16-36 in their last 52 vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
- Maple Leafs are 0-4 in their last 4 games playing on 1 days rest.
- Over is 5-0 in Lightning last 5 after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game.
- Over is 11-4 in Lightning last 15 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Over is 16-6-5 in Lightning last 27 Tuesday games.
- Over is 5-2 in Lightning last 7 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
- Under is 5-2 in Lightning last 7 road games.
- Under is 5-2 in Lightning last 7 vs. Atlantic.
- Under is 4-0-1 in Maple Leafs last 5 vs. Atlantic.
- Over is 5-1 in Maple Leafs last 6 overall.
- Over is 4-1-1 in Maple Leafs last 6 after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game.
- Under is 4-1 in Maple Leafs last 5 when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game.
- Under is 4-1-1 in Maple Leafs last 6 Tuesday games.
- Under is 7-2-1 in Maple Leafs last 10 following a loss of 3 or more goals.
- Over is 9-3-1 in Maple Leafs last 13 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days.
- Over is 3-1-1 in Maple Leafs last 5 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
- Under is 5-2-1 in Maple Leafs last 8 home games.
- Over is 5-2-1 in Maple Leafs last 8 vs. Eastern Conference.
- Under is 15-7 in Maple Leafs last 22 in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 days situation.
- Under is 6-1-1 in the last 8 meetings.
- Lightning are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Toronto.
- Road team is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.
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