If you're the Tampa Bay Lightning, you have to be a little bit wary of the opponent you're facing the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, because that team is the New Jersey Devils, who beat them all three times they played during the regular season. Of course, the post-season is a different animal, so Tampa Bay will try to show them who is boss, starting on Thursday night at 7 PM ET at the Amalie Arena. Remember that if you are a BetAnySports customer, you can get reduced juice before the game starts, and then place wagers while the action is in progress, using the state-of-the-art software from Live Betting Ultra.

Tampa Bay is the top seed in the Eastern Conference, coming in with a record of 54-23-5, which was good for 113 points in the NHL standings. This is a team that can throw a lot of offense at its opponents, and that attack is led by the potent scoring duo of Nikita Kucherov (39 goals, 61 assists), who finished third in the scoring race, along with Stephen Stamkos (27 goals, 59 assists), who has been one of the more dangerous players in the NHL. Stamkos, however, has expressed that his body is showing the effects of a multitude of injuries, and in its he's not 100% coming into this playoff series.

For New Jersey, this season was a total triumph. The Devils have the worst record in the NHL last season, and of course that drew the #1 pick in the draft, which they used to take Nico Hischier, who has elevated himself to anchoring the top line. But the star on this team has been Taylor Hall, who established himself as a Hart Trophy candidate with 39 goals and 54 assists, setting career highs in both categories. Hall, like Hischier, was the top overall pick in the draft (2010, by Edmonton), and he led this Devil team's revival, as they grabbed the 8-seed in the East with a 44-29-9 record (good for 97 points).

In the Stanley Cup playoff betting odds posted on Game 1 by the folks at BetAnySports, it is the Lightning in the favorite's role:

Money Line
Tampa Bay Lightning -220
New Jersey Devils +180

Puck Line
Tampa Bay -1.5 (+135)
New Jersey +1.5 (-155)

Total
Over 5.5 Goals -130
Under 5.5 goals -110

Tampa Bay has also been established as a -320 favorite to win the series (with New Jersey at +260).

One thing important to remember throughout this series, is that Tampa Bay scored more goals in full strength situations (i.e., five-on-five) than any other team in the NHL. Needless to say, there is lots of offensive depth here. Tampa Bay has its own impact rookie in right-wing Yanni Gourde, who scored 25 goals in 64 points, registering a +34 in his plus-minus, which actually tied for third best in the league. So he is certainly a Calder Trophy candidate. Jon Cooper's team can score from the back line as well, with 17 goals from defenseman Victor Hedman, who by the way, was pretty effective in his last post-season appearance, scoring 14 points in 17 games with the Bolts in 2015-16.

But while Hedman provided offensive spark, this team has found itself sometimes wanting on the defensive end. And this problem became more severe as the season progressed. There is no doubt that Andrei Vasilevskiy is capable in the net; he chalked up 44 wins and eight shutouts during the regular season. But his save percentage was not necessarily anything to write home about. And he found himself often under siege.

His opposite number, Keith Kinkaid, came into his starting goaltender's role after injury to Cory Schneider. Since March 1, Kinkaid has a .925 save percentage, but on Thursday night, he'll be starting his first NHL playoff game. The Devils are pretty good on the special teams, and they are #9 in the league on the power play. Killing of penalties has been a weakness of Tampa Bay, as they been successful only 71.3% of the time since February 1. At the price, New Jersey may well have a chance.

Remember that BetAnySports is your headquarters for Stanley Cup playoff betting, as you get the best odds, most options, and reduced juice...... You also get the opportunity to place wagers during the game itself with Live Betting Ultra...... To get things started, you can deposit with your Visa card, person-to-person transfers (like Western Union) and the virtual currency of Bitcoin, which is fast and easy with their automated system, provides a lot of confidentiality, and NEVER incurs a transaction fee!

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