Toronto vs Tampa Bay Playoff Series Prediction: Maple Leafs won’t beat the reigning champion

Toronto has not been able to break the first-round playoff barrier since 2004. Will Sheldon Keefe's team be able to break such a bad streak? Our prediction: Tampa Bay will upset the Maple Leafs once again.

Toronto is one of the most decorated teams in NHL history. The Maple Leafs have 13 titles under their belt, but the last time they won the Stanley Cup was back in 1967. Moreover, since the 2003/04 season they have been unable to reach at least the second round of the playoffs, and more and more often it looks like some kind of curse. In recent years, the Maple Leafs have played with the biggest name powerhouses in the league, yet they've lost back-to-back to Columbus and Montreal in the Eastern quarterfinals. Magic!

This season, Toronto will make another attempt to reach at least the semifinals of the conference. Sheldon Keefe's team had another decent regular season, finishing third in the East, while still boasting a roster of star players. Another question is that already in the first round they will have to play with the current owner of the Stanley Cup, so the chances of another quick relegation are high as ever.

Tampa Bay is the strongest team in the NHL in the last two seasons. Jon Cooper spent several years on the way to the Stanley Cup, suffering the most painful failures, but in the end they reached the cherished goal, and then defended the title as well. After two consecutive titles, the Lightning had to work hard to upgrade their roster, as they could not retain all of their key players due to the salary cap. Fortunately, the team's management rose to the challenge, as we saw in the last regular season.

Just like the year before, Tampa Bay hardly played the entire roster in the regular season, as the team's leaders took turns dropping out due to injuries. It wasn't until the finish of the smooth part of the season that everyone finally recovered, which was immediately reflected in the Lightning's results. In their last six matches, they had five wins and one loss, while almost always scoring a handful of pucks. All of that allowed Jon Cooper's squad to take fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

The teams have never met in the NHL playoffs before, but in the regular championships they have faced each other 104 times. On account of the Maple Leafs there are 58 wins, the Lightning have been stronger in 44 games, and two games ended in a draw. The goal difference is also on the side of the Canadian club, 326-287. This season, the rivals have faced off four times: two times Toronto players won 2-1 and 6-2, and twice it was Tampa Bay hockey players who were stronger, 5-3 and 8-1.

Toronto has long been miserable. The legendary team has been unable to get past the first round of the playoffs for nearly two decades. After a sensational conference quarterfinal loss to Montreal last year, the Maple Leafs learned their lesson and had a very respectable regular season now, but they ran into the reigning champion in the first round of the Stanley Cup. The rivals played each other a week ago, when the Lightning finally came out in the main roster and thrashed Sheldon Keefe's squad, 8-1. Now they are the favorites of the series, and you can bet on Tampa Bay to win it with odds of about 1.95.

TelecomAsia Sport is looking for tipsters for Australian soccer (AFL). Contact jobs@telecomasia.net for more information.