Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Game 2 Prediction, Playoff Odds
Off a rare blowout loss in the 2021 playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens look to even up the Stanley Cup Final in Game 2 of the series at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday. The Bolts are again heavy favourites on the NHL odds with a total of 5.0 goals.
Canadiens vs. Lightning Stanley Cup Odds
On the puckline for Game 2, Montreal is -145 at +1.5 goals and Tampa Bay +121 at -1.5. The under 5.0 goals is a slight -105 favourite. The under was looking good in Game 1 with only three goals scored through two periods but Tampa scored three times in the third – including with about 90 seconds left.
With the Lightning up 1-0 in the series, they are now -556 favourites and the Habs +400. The favoured exact result is Tampa Bay in five at +227, followed by a sweep at +330. There hasn’t been a Stanley Cup Final sweep since Detroit repeated in 1998 with a 4-0 whitewashing of Washington.
The favourites for first goalscorer in Game 2 are Tampa’s Brayden Point and Markham native Steven Stamkos, both at +1000. Montreal’s shortest odds on that prop at +1200 belong to Brendan Gallagher and rookie Cole Caufield.
Tampa Bay is 13-3 in the past 16 meetings. The under is 5-2 in the previous seven.
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal played without forward Joel Armia in Game 1 because he couldn’t practice Sunday or fly with the team to Tampa later that day due to COVID protocols. He eventually did fly on a private plane Monday, but the team decided to scratch him regardless. Armia is a key part of the team’s penalty kill, and it’s perhaps not a coincidence that the Canadiens’ NHL playoff-record streak of 32 straight penalties killed ended on Steven Stamkos’ power-play goal late in the third period. Ben Chiarot’s first playoff goal had cut Tampa’s lead to 2-1 late in the second period.
Carey Price was unusually shaky in allowing all five goals – his most this post-season – on 27 shots. Forward Jake Evans played for the first time since Game 1 of the second round against Winnipeg and had one shot in 11:55. Brendan Gallagher led the team with three shots and is given an over-under of 3.5 shots in Game 2 with the under a -161 favourite. Montreal is 9-3 in its past 12 as an underdog.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Even the most die-hard Canadiens fan would have to admit the Lightning are the more talented team – they have probably the most talented roster in the NHL. That was clearly on display in Game 1 as the Bolts got goals from Erik Cernak (first of playoffs), Yanni Gourde (sixth), Nikita Kucherov (sixth and seventh) and Steven Stamkos (eighth). Kucherov increased his league-leading playoff point total to 30 and is the fourth player in NHL history with 30 or more points in multiple playoff years.
That the Russian has at least one point in Game 2 is -226 with no at +281. He’s a top Conn Smythe Trophy candidate. So is goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who stopped 18 of 19 shots. He should be named the Vezina Trophy winner as top regular-season goaltender during the Stanley Cup Final. One injury note for Tampa: Forward Alex Killorn left after taking a puck off his leg and his status is TBA. Killorn has 17 points in these playoffs, so that would be significant if he can’t play. This is the Lightning’s fourth all-time Stanley Cup Final, and they had lost Game 1 in the previous three. The Lightning have scored at least four goals in seven of 10 home games this post-season. Tampa Bay is 15-6 in its past 21 as a playoff favourite.
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