Steven Stamkos said after the Tampa Bay Lightning lost Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final 7-0 that we’ll see what kind of team they are. Well, they are the two-time defending champs and they responded as such getting back in the series with a 6-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night. Tampa beat the Rangers four straight after dropping the first two games of the Eastern Conference final and a change of scenery was just what they needed. They could be without leading scorer Nikita Kucherov, who was hurt after getting cross checked in the third period. Tampa has won eight straight home games and can even the series with their ninth on Wednesday night.
The Stanley Cup final matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning takes place at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, from Amalie Arena in Tampa and will air live on ABC. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game of the Stanley Cup Finals.
NHL Betting Lines at BookMaker.eu
Colorado Avalanche -108
Tampa Bay Lightning -108
Total 6
Odds Analysis
The last two games haven’t been close with Colorado winning 7-0 and Tampa Bay earning its first win in the series Monday night, 6-2. So of course both teams opened with the same odds at -108. For the first time this postseason Colorado played as an underdog at +103 in Monday’s game. And it’s easy to see why oddsmakers feel so strongly about them. Not only did the Avalanche have the most wins and points among Western Conference teams, they’ve also dominated in the playoffs winning 14 of 16 games prior to Game 3. Everything has been so easy this postseason that we don’t know how Colorado is going to react to their biggest playoff loss. They dropped two games to St. Louis in their closest series outscoring the Blues 22-18. And Colorado is the postseason scoring leader averaging 4.59 goals allowing them to cash the OVER in 11 of their 17 games, including all three in the Cup final.
We knew the Lightning had something to offer and weren’t going to go quietly. You don’t win back-to-back Stanley Cups without having some fight. Obviously not pleased by their performance in Denver they did something about it. They were able to corral the speedy Colorado players, score a few goals and get key stops from Andrei Vasilevskiy. Playing at home and having the last line change was a plus allowing the checking line to go against Nathan MacKinnon and Colorado’s top scorers. And their depth was evident on Monday with 10 different players registering at least one point. And their big guns came through with Kucherov, Stamkos, Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat each having a multi-point game.
Colorado Avalanche
Not only did the Avalanche lose Game 3 they also have plenty of question about their goaltending situation after Darcy Kuemper was riddled for five goals on 17 shots and yanked halfway through the second period. He did pitch a shutout in Game 2, but it’s safe to say he didn’t get Tampa’s best effort facing only 16 shots. And he’s not far removed from an injury that kept him out most of the Edmonton series.
When Colorado doesn’t manufacture offense, which is rare since they’ve scored at least four goals in 12 of their 17 games, the defense and goaltending are magnified. Even with a shutout Kuemper has a .869 save percentage and 3.14 GAA in the series with Pavel Francouz waiting.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Showing why they are the two-time defending champs, the Lightning got back in the series with a dominant Game 3 win. Since losing their first home game in the opening round, they’ve been on a roll posting eight straight wins outscoring teams 33-13. And they’ve been pretty good in Game 4s this postseason winning all three while outscoring Toronto, Florida and the Rangers 13-4.
What could be their downfall is special teams. Tampa allowed a pair of power-play goals on Monday and has surrendered five in three games. They’ve yielded at least one PPG in seven of their last nine games with opponents converting on 37 percent of their man advantage chances. Conversely Tampa scored only four PPGs in that span with a conversion rate of 15.3 percent.
NHL Odds Pick
Tampa’s best players showed up Monday night and we saw a completely different team than the one that left Denver with its tail between its legs. Good teams do that and now we’ll see what Colorado is made of. Coming off their worst playoff loss against the toughest opponent they’ve faced, the Avalanche need strong goaltending and I’m not sure they’re going to get it regardless of who’s in net. Meanwhile, Vasilevskiy continues a trend of getting stronger as a series progresses, giving me confidence in backing the home team.
NHL Odds Prediction: Lightning 4, Avalanche 3
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
