The Colorado Avalanche took a 1-0 series lead in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, earning a 4-3 victory in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Paced by captain Gabriel Landeskog, the Avalanche raced out to a 3-1 lead on Wednesday before seeing the Lightning battle back to send the game to overtime.
Andre Burakovsky’s goal less than two minutes into the extra session was the difference maker, putting Colorado just three wins away from lifting their first Stanley Cup since 2001.
Will the Avs take a 2-0 series lead tonight in Denver, or will the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions even the series before it heads to Florida for Game 3?
Below you will find a wager to consider from Game 2 of tonight’s Cup Final that is available at PointsBet.
For those unfamiliar with the term “overlay,” it simply refers to odds that are higher than an outcome’s true probability.
For example, if an outcome has a 50% chance of happening, the correlating odds would be +100.
If the odds offered on that specific event are +150, or an implied probability of 40%, then the price would represent an overlay.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING at COLORADO AVALANCHE
For whatever reason, the Lightning have gotten off to sluggish starts in three of their four postseason series.
Game 1 of their first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs saw the Lightning yield five goals in a 5-0 drubbing – but Tampa would go on to win the series in seven games.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final featured a lifeless Lightning team against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, with the Rangers securing a convincing 6-2 victory – but Tampa would go on to win the series in six games.
After Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, it’s easy to conclude that Tampa simply isn’t as good as Colorado.
I believe the contrary.
Jon Cooper’s team couldn’t have looked any worse in the first period of Wednesday’s game, particularly superstar netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Vasilevskiy ended up stopping 34 of 38 shots against in the 4-3 defeat, however he allowed two of the softest goals you’ll ever see the Russian backstop yield in the first period, setting the tone for the remainder of the game.
In periods two and three we saw a better version of last year’s Conn Smythe winner, and the hope for Tampa Bay Lightning fans and backers is that the best version of Vasilevskiy shows up in Denver this evening.
Something else to take into consideration before tonight’s contest was the Game 1 performance from Colorado’s Darcy Kuemper.
Yes, Kuemper likely had a bit of rust considering Wednesday’s game was his first appearance since May 31, however he was far from stellar in his return.
Tampa was only able to muster twenty-three shots in all, yet they scored three times, putting Kuemper’s save percentage at a subpar 87%.
If prior series are any indication, Nikita Kucherov and company will take advantage of Kuemper’s deficiencies and bounce back in Game 2 tonight (Kucherov totaled five points in bounce back Game 2 wins following Game 1 losses in the first and third rounds combined).
I’m expecting the real Tampa Bay Lightning team to show up in Denver tonight, and their moneyline odds of +135 (implied probability of 42.6%) represent a fair price.
THE PLAYS
Tampa Bay Lightning at Colorado Avalanche – Lightning ML (+135)
