Stamkos has missed the club's past three games. He'll be forced to miss at least 10 contests total and won't be eligible to return until May 5, per Smith.
The Lightning have 13 games remaining this season. They currently sit tied atop the Central Division with the Carolina Hurricanes with one extra game played.
Stamkos has notched 34 points in 38 games in 2021.
The Canucks were set to resume their season after being paused since March 26 due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Safety concerns were voiced by J.T. Miller and the team Wednesday.
It may be a short season, but it feels like things are really dragging along right now as we creep toward the playoffs. Condensed schedules and the repetition of playing the same opponents have players often looking tired and disengaged, which makes betting these games even more difficult.
Still, we're managing to keep our heads above water this year with a 114-106 (+6.24 units) record heading into Thursday's slate.
The Lightning would probably be running away with the Central Division if they could get any sort of quality goaltending behind Andrei Vasilevskiy. Curtis McElhinney hasn't provided anything close, as Tampa is 13-3-0 since the beginning of March in Vasilevskiy starts and 1-5-1 when anyone else is in net.
Vasilevskiy is confirmed as tonight's starter after McElhinney started the 7-2 loss Tuesday, and that makes the Lightning excellent value in a bounce-back spot on home ice. This should also be a Sergei Bobrovsky start for the Panthers - the lesser of their two goalies - as Chris Driedger hasn't started back-to-back games since February.
So we're getting a significant goaltending edge with the better roster, and while the price may seem expensive, it's still too short. The Panthers have actually come back down to earth over the last three weeks, with pedestrian marks of 49.94 xGF% and 51.57 CF% at five-on-five over that span, while the Lightning continue to tick along with a 52.35 xGF% and 54.73 CF%. Lay it with the hosts here.
This bet hinges on Jonathan Bernier starting for the Red Wings. Assuming he's in net, then we're getting great value with the hosts here. Detroit has actually played some pretty good hockey over the last little bit, managing a 5-3-2 record over its previous 10 despite eight of those games coming against the top-four teams in the division (two each against the Lightning, Hurricanes, Panthers, and Predators).
And the Red Wings' underlying metrics support that record, as they're seventh in the NHL with a 52.7 xGF% at five-on-five over their last 10 games. Their 46.7 CF% over that span is below league average but still better than what the Blackhawks managed. Chicago has posted a 44.51 xGF% and 44.28 CF% over its last 10 games - both bottom-five marks in the NHL over that span.
The Blackhawks have largely been riding their luck and are due for regression, with Kevin Lankinen often bailing them out of bad performances. However, Lankinen has started seven straight games and clearly needs rest. It's possible we see Malcolm Subban start tonight for the Blackhawks, or it'll be a tired and overworked Lankinen. Either way, as long as Bernier starts, the Red Wings are worth backing in this spot.
Pick: Red Wings (+140)
Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, despises how the NHL handles starting goalie announcements, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
Matthews is considered day-to-day and isn't expected to be held out long, Keefe adds.
When asked if the 23-year-old is suffering from the same injury as a wrist ailment that resulted in Matthews missing three games earlier this season, Keefe said "it's similar but not the same no," according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel.
The forward was the first Leafs player on the ice for the morning skate Thursday, but he departed before it officially began. The team practiced with these lines without the sniper:
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed prospect Rodion Amirov to a three-year entry-level contract for the 2021-22 season, the team announced Thursday.
Since his season with the KHL's Ufa Salavat Yulayev is complete, Amirov will join the Marlies and Maple Leafs' development program this season.
The Leafs are expected to loan Amirov to the KHL for the 2021-22 campaign, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
"We look forward to welcoming Rodion to Canada in the coming weeks and having him begin working with our player development staff in Toronto," general manager Kyle Dubas said. "We also look forward to continuing to work with Ufa with his development next season. Ufa has done an excellent job guiding Rodion's development as a player to date and we are excited to work very closely with them through the summer and into the future."
The plan is for Amirov to work with the Maple Leafs' development staff both this offseason and next in Toronto, his agent Dan Milstein said.
Toronto selected Amirov with the 15th pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old recorded nine goals and four assists in 39 games in the KHL this season.
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury passed Hockey Hall of Famer Ed Belfour for fourth on the NHL's all-time wins list Wednesday night.
Fleury's 20-save effort versus the Los Angeles Kings was the 485th victory of his career. The 36-year-old is among some truly elite company with his latest milestone.
Rank
Goalie
Wins
1
Martin Brodeur
691
2
Patrick Roy
551
3
Roberto Luongo
489
4
Marc-Andre Fleury
485
5
Ed Belfour
484
6
Henrik Lundqvist
459
Fleury has a chance to move into the top three this season, his 17th in the NHL. He's showed no signs of slowing down in 2021, posting a .925 save percentage in 28 starts entering Wednesday's game.
