After a 4-3 overtime victory in game one, the Colorado Avalanche will look to take game two of the Stanley Cup Final over the Tampa Bay Lighting in Colorado. Puck drop is set for 8PM EST with the game on ABC. The Lightning open as +125 underdogs while the Avalanche are -155 favorites.
RECENT TRENDS:
After jumping to an early 3-1 lead, the Avalanche lost their lead and needed an Andre Burakovsky goal less than three minutes into overtime to take the 4-3 victory. The Av’s offense was hot early with three goals in the first period, only one less than the record set by the Bruins in the 1972 final. Darcy Keumper returned to the lineup after missing most of the Western Conference Finals, but only picked up 20 saves on 23 shots after surrendering two goals in the second period.
Even in a loss, the Lightning were resilient, scoring three goals to force the overtime after being down by 3-1. Their offense combined for two goals in 48 seconds in the second period, a franchise record and top-10 fastest time between goals in Stanley Cup Final history. Brayden Point returned to the Lightning lineup and already had an impact, notching an assist in his first game back. The Lightning defense also stepped up, shutting down Colorado’s Cale Makar as he had zero points and zero shots on goal.
BETTING ANGLES:
Game two for both of these teams have typically been low scoring games. For the Avalanche, game two was a 4-0 win over Edmonton while the Lightning fell 3-2 to the Rangers. Overall, the Avalanche have had under six goals in all three prior game two’s while the Lighting only had six or more goals in their first round game two against the Maple Leafs. Take the under six goals (-106) ahead of the contest.
Looking for a player prop to take? Take Gabriel Landeskog to have two or more points including overtime. (+245) Over his last five games, Landeskog has two or more points in three games with two or more in back to back games.
RECENT INJURIES:
Neither squad has new injuries to report.
WHY THE LIGHTING CAN WIN:
Down 1-0, the Lightning were in this expat spot throughout the playoffs. For the Bolts to take game two, it comes down to their offense. For 59:12 of regulation, the Lighting offense couldn’t muster 20 shots, but in just :48 seconds, they mustered two goals to tie the game 3-3. The Lightning offense, championed by Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, have to play a full 60 minutes and if they do, they can take game two.
WHY COLORADO CAN WIN:
On the other side of the coin, the Av’s looked great for 59:12 of regulation but for 48 seconds fell flat and lost their lead. Cale Makar and the defense looked sluggish at times, but it has been Colorado’s defense that has clinched them games. Colorado’s offense can win with 4.64 goals per game, the most in the postseason. If the defense can return to form and offense continues to produce in game two, the Av’s have a great chance to take a 2-0 series lead.
BEST OVERALL BET: GABRIEL LANDESKOG TWO OR MORE POINTS (+245)
