Stanley Cup Prop Bets: Game 1 Expect a Spectacular Start

Two powerhouse teams collide for the Stanley Cup Finals. When the Colorado Avalanche host the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 1, find the latest Stanley Cup prop bets favoring plenty of scoring, namely from each team’s star players. The likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov are expected to be busy this Wednesday night as we may be in for one hell of a Stanley Cup Final opener.

Lightning vs Avalanche Game 1 Info

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

Stars On Both Teams Exchange Goals

While Stanley Cups are won by teams, it is up to their best players to do the heavy lifting. There is a reason why the likes of Cale Makar and Andrei Vasilevskiy have short odds to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. In Makar’s case, the defenseman is on a scoring tear not seen since Brian Leetch nearly 30 years ago.

Stanley Cup prop bets have Makar almost guaranteed to score a point. Similarly, these point totals are “over” for Kucherov, MacKinnon, and Stamkos just to name a few. Former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Victor Hedman is also expected to score as well as Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. With all this scoring.

Men in the Middle

Speaking of Vasilevskiy, the Lightning netminder has arguably been the best player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Sure, Vasilevskiy had some rough outings but when it mattered most, he helped shut down the other team. Vasilevskiy’s saves totals are lined at 32½  per the NHL final odds. The Avalanche average nearly 41 shots a game meaning Tampa will bring them down and Vasilevskiy will do the rest.

On the other end is Darcy Kuemper for Colorado. The public has already moved on his save totals at over 27½. That’s an interesting stat as Kuemper has faced 28 or more shots only three times in the playoffs and he’s made 28 or more saves only twice. He needs to step up and be close to Vasilevskiy or this could be an upset.

Finishing Strong

The Stanley Cup prop bets have pegged the third period as the game’s highest scoring, potentially. Both teams average over a goal per the third period with Colorado’s 1.25 leading the league and Tampa’s 1.17 being seventh. Defensively, these teams allow the fewest goals in the first – both are in the top-10 in the league. The third is where it gets dicey for Colorado as they allow nearly a goal at 0.93.

It’s often that Colorado is already up on their opponents come the third so exchanging goals is fine. But what if the Lightning flips the script and goes up on the Avalanche? The Lightning is 7-1 in the playoffs when leading after two periods. In the regular season, they are 33-1-4. Bet on NHL odds to heavily flip on Tampa if they get the first goal and lead Colorado throughout.

High-Octane Offense

So far we’ve got stars expected to score, a chaotic third period, and shutdown goaltending on one side. The Stanley Cup prop bets expect plenty of goals coming from each side. The betting odds are in favor of Colorado and Tampa Bay both scoring at least three goals. This lines up with the total set at six.

If we go one step further and look at the correct score market, Colorado to win 4-3 or Tampa to win 4-3 has two of the shortest odds. The other shorter ones are for Colorado 3-2 and Tampa 3-2. Either way, the public expects at least one team to hit the three-goal mark here. Considering all the firepower we have, it’s not just wishful thinking.