Toronto Looks More Like a Playoff Winning Team than Tampa Bay, So How Should You Bet Tonight?

The NHL schedule still feels like a roller coaster. Thursday night has 11 games on the docket with a few Canadian teams on the schedule as well.

Now, this larger slate allows us to keep a short and sweet preview to get you ready for your NHL betting.

Toronto Maple Leafs Roll Into Tampa Bay Today

Tonight’s game takes on more importance for the Tampa Bay Lightning as they entertain the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto is in a great position. It is Tampa that is in all sorts of peril when it comes to seeding. Toronto comes in 9-1-1 in its past 11 games while the Lightning is 4-5-2 in that span.

This is one of the games where it looks like Auston Matthews will not play. He is expected to skate before Toronto leaves for Tampa.

It probably is a wise move to assume the worst here for once. Or is that the best long-term? Either way, resting Matthews for another couple of games does not hurt. Does it impact the betting numbers? Absolutely. This is about getting ready for the playoffs, however.

Does that urgency change the numbers some for Tampa Bay? That answer is yes. Toronto is a rare and slight road underdog on Thursday night.

Most sites and Ontario sports betting sites are assuming Matthews will miss a third straight game.

Toronto is around a 1.95 to 2.00 underdog. That would rank as very slight. Andrei Vasilevskiy is starting for Tampa Bay. Honestly, Toronto could start either Jack Campbell or Erik Kallgren at this point.

Toronto and Tampa Bay have an Over of 7 as it shifted early this morning from 6.5. As enticing as that 6.5 was, the 7 is a bit more concerning.

That Over is something to stay away from. It may very well push. Last night, the 6.5 going back to 6 helped get us a better number for the 6.5 between Edmonton and Dallas. Tonight, it is OK if a bettor wants to play it safe.

This is where it gets uncertain. No one knows how Tampa Bay is going to come out. Against Detroit, the Lightning looked dominant and then still lost.

It was a crazy game that Tampa Bay had a lead it shouldn’t have lost. Yes, Tampa Bay is the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. However, Toronto looks more like the playoff team right now.

The longer slate allows us to look at the moneyline and toss a small wager on each side.

After that, look at some of the points and shot props on the Toronto side in particular. Without a certain No. 34 in the lineup likely, the shot distribution skews elsewhere. Keep that in mind tonight.

The Untouchable and Touchable Canadian Teams

When betting in sports, it is fun to use a fun term called the “untouchables”. Every person that wagers money always has those teams that just hurt them. This is more of a case of teams that feature a little too much uncertainty.

Just imagine this for a second. The Winnipeg Jets are among those teams tonight. Why? It has zero to play for. Its playoff elimination is coming while the Carolina Hurricanes try to hold off the New York Rangers for the Metropolitan Division.

Winnipeg still stands at 81 points. With five games left and SportsClubStats saying it has zero chance of making the playoffs, what is left? When do players start getting rested for “load management”? It is an inevitability no one ever wants to talk about.

At some point, Blake Wheeler will be rested along with Paul Stastny and some older players. Time distributions will be interesting and that makes the Winnipeg Jets less and less appealing, especially while on this road trip.

That’s not the only team in this category. With questions on how the Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks look, those might be teams to at least be lukewarm about. The first two starts in Carey Price’s return have seen the offense dry up. Has Montreal hit the wall? The good news is that Montreal is playing the Philadelphia Flyers tonight.

Both teams have lost eight of their past 10 games and the likelihood of goals being scored seems higher than usual. Other than entertaining the Montreal moneyline and the Over which is 6, that might be about it.

As for Vancouver, it is in Minnesota tonight. If there is a game that makes us hesitant, that is it. Vancouver is on a hot bender but Minnesota needs points as it tries to get the No. 2 seed in the Central over St. Louis.

There is even some concern with the Calgary Flames tonight. Do they take an unrested Dallas Stars team too lightly?

Calgary is a significant favorite at around 1.40 to 1.45. Bettors probably should look to more attractive bets like the “winning in regulation” or even the puckline.

Those numbers will fluctuate as game time approaches. Calgary is more of a commodity that way if a bettor wants to wager a modest amount.