NHL Final Prop Bets: Game 2 of Stanley Cup Finals Projects More Scoring

It was worth the wait. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals delivered as the Colorado Avalanche edged the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime in what was a seven-goal game. Going by the NHL Final prop bets, expect more of the same as we head to Game 2 and look at how it should unfold.

Lightning vs Avalanche Game 2 Info

• Matchup: Tampa Bay Lightning (51-23-8) vs. Colorado Avalanche (56-19-7)
• Location: Ball Arena, Colorado
• Time: Saturday, 8:00 P.M. ET
• Broadcast: ABC

Most Goals Expected From These Five Players

Game 1 saw plenty of goals exchanged. But after Gabriel Landeskog scored in the first, the other six goals came from the supporting players. Not the “star” players. The likes of Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos from Tampa Bay and Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen from Colorado did not get credit for a goal.

Despite that, the Stanley Cup odds have these four as the likeliest goal-scorers for Game 2. The NHL Final prop bets have them, plus Landeskog, at short lines in various goal-scoring markets. Betting on all five of them is not recommended, though most of Saturday’s goals will likely be created by these players.

Supporting Cast Not Expected on Scoreboard

On the flip side, the NHL props have the supporting players at longer odds to get back on the scoreboard. Ondřej Palat, who scored in the second period in Game 1, is next to Kucherov and Stamkos as Tampa’s most likely goal-scorer while Nick Paul is at 7/2 odds to score with Mikhail Sergachev at even longer odds. On Colorado’s side, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen have similar odds to Palat.

As far as recording a point, only Palat is expected to contribute to Tampa Bay per the NHL Final prop bets’ odds. Nichushkin and Lehkonen are at near 50/50 chances to be involved in the scoring. If anything, these odds reflect how much deeper Colorado is than Tampa when it comes to offense hence why they are once again favored to win.

Three’s a Party

Game 1’s seven goals were close to reflecting the betting favorites on the NHL props market. The favored lines had either Tampa Bay or Colorado winning by one goal with both teams scoring at least three each. Why change what’s not broken? The odds are similar to Game 1’s as both teams are once again expected to score three goals or even four.

Andrei Vasilevskiy and Darcy Kuemper did not have their best performances. The former’s save percentage (SV%) fell below 90 percent for the first time in five games. In Kuemper’s case, this would be the fourth time in his last five games where his SV% was sub-average. Unless both pick it up and stonewall their opponents, the goals should keep coming.

Another Nail-Biter in the Works

Fans have nothing but the utmost respect for both teams hence why the NHL prop bets reflect another close game. By this, either the Lightning or Avalanche are expected to win by just one goal. Three of Tampa’s last four losses were by one goal each. Colorado has only lost twice in the playoffs and one of them happened in overtime.

The Avalanche have rarely trailed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. When they did lose to St. Louis 4-1, they coughed up the first two goals. If Tampa is to beat the Avalanche, it will have to start fast. Colorado is much like its namesake. Once it gets going, it will be unstoppable until it buries the competition.