The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning play Game 2 of their Stanley Cup Final series Wednesday. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena. Below, we analyze the Canadiens vs. Lightning Stanley Cup Final Game 2 odds and lines, with NHL picks and predictions.
The Canadiens fell behind in Game 1 when Erik Cernak notched a goal at 6:19 of the first period, while Montreal didn’t score its first goal until 17:40 of the second period to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 2-1. It was a wire-to-wire win for the home side.
The Lightning gave side bettors and puck line bettors an easy night in the series opener. Nikita Kucherov lit the lamp twice, and Brayden Point had three assists to lead the way.
Also see: 2021 Stanley Cup Final series odds
Canadiens at Lightning: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:27 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Canadiens +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Lightning -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Canadiens +1.5 (-150) | Lightning -1.5 (+125)
- Over/Under: 5 (O: -125 | U: +105)
Canadiens at Lightning: Projected starting goalies
Carey Price (12-7-5, 2.64 GAA, .901 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy (31-10-1, 2.21 GAA, .925 SV%, 5 SO). Stats from regular season.
Price was under fire early in Game 1, and he allowed five goals on 27 shots for his worst performance of the postseason. He had allowed two or fewer goals in each of the final five games in the third round against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Vasilevskiy wasn’t tested much in Game 1, allowing just one goal on 19 shots. He faced just five shots each of the first and third periods while saving eight of nine shots in the second.
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Canadiens at Lightning: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Lightning 3, Canadiens 2
Money line (ML)
The Lightning (-225) are heavy favorites to pick up the win in Game 2, but I don’t like having to risk nearly two and a half times the return. I think the Canadiens will play much better in this one, making chalk eaters sweat.
AVOID, and look to the puck line instead.
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Against the spread (ATS)
The CANADIENS +1.5 (-150) just didn’t have it in the series opener, as the Lightning stormed to the 5-1 win and easy puck line cover.
However, Montreal has shown time and time again that it has another gear. When everyone wants to count the Canadiens out they will make the opposition work for it. They barely made it into the playoffs and were down 3-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 1. They persevered. They were underdogs to the Winnipeg Jets. They not only persevered, but they also swept. They were heavy underdogs to the Vegas Golden Knights and upended the hockey world by winning in six games.
Look for Montreal to keep it close, perhaps even falling in overtime.
Over/Under (O/U)
I expect the TOTAL 5 to come in right on the number. Playing UNDER 5.5 (-165) on the alternate line is the better play, as I expect a much better defensive effort and a good showing from Price.
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