Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Game 7 Prediction, NHL Odds
The Canadiens let a chance to clinch the series slip away in Friday night’s 1-0 overtime loss at Bell Centre, which leaves this clash knotted at three games apiece.
The Lightning return home as -166 favourites on the Game 7 odds. The Canadiens trail as a +135 bet to close out the series. The total for Game 5 is pegged at 5.0.
Canadiens vs. Lightning NHL Betting Odds
Low scoring has been the theme of this series and that continued in Game 6, with these clubs playing 60 minutes of scoreless hockey before Gage Goncalves earned the Lightning the victory with the game winner just over nine minutes into overtime. Tampa Bay’s 1-0 victory marked the fifth time in the series these teams have scored five or fewer total goals, generating a boon for NHL bettors taking the UNDER, which has paid out in five straight games and seven of the past eight overall matchups between these clubs. Friday’s win also gave the Lightning a boost on the NHL futures, where they have rebound to a +400 bet to win the East and a +850 wager on the Stanley Cup odds. Conversely, the Habs have lost ground, sinking to +900 on the Eastern Conference futures and +2000 longshots to raise the Cup.
Montreal Canadiens
With Friday’s defeat, the Canadiens have now failed to score for almost 88 minutes. That’s a drought the club must end quickly if they are to advance to a second-round date with Buffalo. That amps up the pressure on the club’s biggest stars, who have struggled to generate offence in this series. Juraj Slafkovsky leads the club with three goals, but has been held off the scoresheet since Game 1. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Ivan Demidov have combined to score just one total goal, and none of the for Habs stars have managed to pot a goal at even strength so far in the series. Montreal has benefited from contributions by role players like Josh Anderson, Kirby Dach, and Alexandre Texier, all of whom have scored twice in the series. But ultimately, the fate of the Habs rests in the hands of netminder Jakub Dobes, who has exceeded expectations while surrendering just 2.33 shots per game.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning have managed to force a Game 7 despite rarely leading so far in the season. The club has racked up 73 total shots on goal over the past two games but have seen their own offensive woes continue. Tampa Bay skaters have also had to endure the Habs’ punishing physical game while absorbing 87 total hits over the past two contests. Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel have powered the attack with eight of the club’s 14 goals in the series, but the duo has potted just one total goal in the game. Like Montreal, the Lightning need more from stars like Nikita Kucherov, Darren Raddysh, Brayden Point, and Anthony Cirelli, who have amassed just three total goals, and will be desperate to claim the early advantage that will likely be the ley to victory on Sunday night.
