Can Tampa Bay Bounce Back Against New York in Game 2? How Should You Bet?
The NHL Playoffs have hit Friday night as the New York Rangers are home to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Now, to help with your NHL betting, let’s take a quick look and make more picks in this affair.
But first let’s look back at Edmonton’s loss to Colorado on Thursday.
After what happened there, does the same kind of outcome happen in New York?
Colorado Bears Down, Wears Down Edmonton In Game 2
So, the Colorado Avalanche did their part on Thursday night. The Avalanche scored three quick second-period goals en route to a 4-0 shutout victory from Ball Arena in Denver.
Colorado kept coming after a frantic first half of the game while shutting down Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
How much did Edmonton short circuit? The Oilers had 13 shots and a bevy of scoring chances over the first 20 minutes. Their expected goals were 0.73 at home at strength. In the final two periods, it was 0.36. Colorado did what Los Angeles did weeks ago in a 4-0 shutout.
This felt different. Colorado was still pushing the issue quickly and could have scored six or seven goals. Mike Smith was the reason why this contest was not a rout. Was Edmonton exposed?
It will be something to see what happens in Game 3? The scene shifts to Edmonton, and keep in mind that the Oilers rallied to win that series against Los Angeles in seven games. Unfortunately, this is not Los Angeles; this is the Colorado Avalanche.
Edmonton will have to do several things differently on Saturday night if it expects to win. Sustaining its level of play will be the most paramount and the most instrumental to their eventual fate.
Tampa Bay and New York Game 2 From Manhattan
The Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers are ready to square off tonight. The Over of 5.5 hit easily was reached as both teams combined for eight goals in Game 1.
Tampa Bay and New York have been in this position before. Ontario sports betting players expect this to calm down in terms of goal production. Game 2 will be more brutal to gauge. New York attacking Tampa Bay on its counterpressure was a big reason for their Game 1 success.
Goaltending is vital in these series now that the number of teams left in the playoffs is four. It always is. Igor Shesterkin outplayed Andrei Vasilevskiy in Game 1. There were a few pucks Vasilevskiy admitted he should have stopped. This Tampa Bay team bounces back better than any team in the past few decades. Vasilevskiy’s playoff record after a loss is well documented.
On the other side, how does New York continue to sustain its level of success from the series opener? Balance and depth allowed Frank Vatrano to use his perimeter speed to stretch the Tampa Bay team defense. That was a theme New York used throughout the night. Can New York continue to dominate in spurts only and keep winning?
The idea is that Game 2 expects to feature fewer goals but that Over is still resolute at 5.5. This game figures to feature slightly better defense and goaltending. How much is just unknown.
Here are some bets to consider and more outside-the-box ones too.
- Tampa Bay wins in regulation: 2.12 (moneyline overall is 1.77)
- Tampa Bay Puckline (win by two or more goals): 3.05
- Corey Perry Over 0.5 points: 2.30
- Nikita Kucherov anytime goal: 2.50
- Filip Chytil Over 0.5 points - watch for availability (anytime goal 5.20)
- Victor Hedman Over 0.5 power-play points: 2.40
- Igor Shesterkin Over shot prop: 1.91
- Victor Hedman Over 2.5 shots: 1.67
- Chris Kreider Over 2.5 shots: 1.83 (Vatrano over 1.5 at 1.62)
- Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov anytime goal: 7.50
Then, there are a few more “boosts.”
The One To Stay Away From?
Finally, it turned out that staying away from the two more off-the-wall bets was a prudent strategy as Edmonton humbled quite a few pundits with their goose egg on Thursday.
Tonight the idea is to stay away from that Ondrej Palat and Mika Zibanejad anytime goal parlay at 12.00. It is enticing and understandable to toss a minimal fraction-unit wager. However, for Canadian bettors, there are better, modest wagers to be made.
Good luck as always.
