The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning have played to a 2-2 draw in their Eastern Conference First Round series.
The Leafs took Game 1 in convincing fashion before the Bolts evened things up with a 5-3 victory in Game 2.
Once in Tampa, the Maple Leafs regained the series advantage, winning 5-2, but the Lightning made sure to tie it up once more by taking Game 4, 7-3.
This has been one of several series that have been lopsided on a game-to-game basis but are tight in terms of wins. Now that this clash between Atlantic Division foes is effectively a best-of-three series, who actually has the edge?
Does the advantage in this series belong to the Leafs or Lightning?
Momentum does not appear to carry much weight in this series, as the teams have alternated wins. For that reason, it feels like this matchup is entirely up for grabs. Game 5 is always a pivotal point in a series, and that will be no different here.
To this point, the Leafs have received their largest contributions from forwards Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, who have tallied six points each to lead the team. Of course, that is a good thing, but what happens if those guys slip up?
On the Lightning’s side, they are still waiting on players like Brayden Point and captain Steven Stamkos, who have only two points each in this series, to get going. If they do, that is an added advantage that the Bolts have not had through the first four games.
More than anything, I would give the edge to Tampa Bay because of experience and the point of the series in which they’re in.
With a 2-2 matchup, each game and each moment now become amplified and more intense. I would generally believe that as it gets later in a series, the advantage goes to the team that has been here and succeeded in the past.
That team is the Tampa Bay Lightning, and I think they will ultimately eliminate a Maple Leafs team that is searching for its first series victory since 2004.
Game 5 between the Lightning and the Maple Leafs will be Tuesday night at 7:30 in Toronto.