Tampa Bay Lightning (49-20-6) vs Montreal Canadiens (36-26-12)
Game Info: Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 8:00 pm (Amalie Arena)
Betting Odds: Tampa Bay Lightning -200 / Montreal Canadiens +170 --- Over/Under: 5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Montreal Canadiens in game 2 of their Stanley Cup finals series. The Lightning are up 1-0 after their game 1 win.
Montreal will look to bounce back after a disappointing showing in the opener. They only managed 19 shots in the game and were 0-3 on the power play. Ben Chiarot scored the teams only goal in the second period, his first of the playoffs. The Canadiens defense had an off night, with Carey Price allowing 5 goals, tied for the most he has allowed in a game this postseason. Those 5 goals came on just 27 shots, which proves how little resistance they provided to the Lightnings attack. Carey Price has allowed just 2.18 goals per game this postseason, a large reason for their deep run. If he continues to struggle, this series will be over quick. The Canadiens are averaging just 2.44 goals per game this postseason.
Tampa Bay stormed out to an easy win in game one, dominating all aspects of the game. Nikita Kucherov led the way with 2 goals and an assist, while Brayden Point notched three assists of his own. Kucherov leads the team with 30 postseason points, while Point ranks second with 23. In net Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 18 of 19 shots, another solid performance. He has allowed just 1.94 goals per game this postseason. The Lightning have averaged 4.20 goals per game at home in the playoffs, second best among all teams. They also rank second with a 44% success rate on the power play.
Montreal is 18-13-7 on the road this season, 37-37 ATS, and the under is 38-29.
Tampa Bay is 28-8-2 at home this season, 34-41 ATS, and the under is 36-34.
The Canadiens have played tough throughout the playoffs, avoiding consecutive losses in each of their last two series. However, they are clearly outmatched early in this series, and will need to make several adjustments before they can shift the momentum in their favor. The Lightning have been elite at home and were able to carve through Montreal’s great defense with ease in game 1. I expect this to be a much more competitive affair, but Tampa Bay will find a way to pull it out on their own ice. Give me the Lightning to win.