Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs Game 2 odds, picks and predictions

The Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Puck drop from Scotiabank Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Lightning vs. Maple Leafs odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

The Lightning opened last season's playoffs with a 5-0 stinker in Game 1 in Toronto. Tampa Bay wasn't about to let that happen again.

Light-scoring Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who hadn't scored a goal in the final 20 regular-season games, opened the scoring. Anthony Cirelli then took advantage of a dumb Leafs turnover, beating a helpless Ilya Samsonov, and you could hear a pin drop at Scotiabank Arena after just 7:18.

A T.J. Brodie holding penalty late in the period gave the Lightning a chance on the power play, and Nikita Kucherov took advantage, scoring with 3.6 seconds left to stun Toronto, as the Lightning jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening game Tuesday night.

The Leafs posted a pair of power-play goals from Ryan O'Reilly and Williams Nylander, and suddenly it was just 3-2. Toronto had life, the building was alive, and all appeared to be headed in the right direction. Then, a slash on David Kampf led to a Brayden Point PPG.

Still, at 4-2, it wasn't lights out, but an ugly hit and match penalty on Michael Bunting sucked all the air out of Toronto's sails. Corey Perry snuck one in on the pipe, which Toronto challenged. It was upheld, and a penalty assessed for an incorrect challenge. Down 2 men, Point struck again on the power play, and it was good night, Toronto.

The teams exchanged goals in the 3rd, ending in a football score, with the Buccaneers 7, Argonauts 3. I mean, Lightning 7, Leafs 3.