Preview and prediction for Game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup

Well, the Tampa Bay Lightning certainly showed their strength in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals, as the Montreal Canadiens looked very much like a team that finished with the 18th best record in the league.

But this is not unfamiliar territory for the Habs, as they have lost the first game in two of their three previous playoff series during this unlikely run. On Wednesday night they will try to regroup and draw even with the Bolts in Game 2, which begins at 8:05 p.m. ET at the Amalie Arena in Tampa.

BetAnySports customers will have the opportunity to play a lot of props on this game, get reduced juice, and also engage in real-time wagers through the facilities of Super Lines and Ultimate Lines.

It was a tight game on Monday night through the first two periods, with the Lightning leading by a single goal. But then it got out of hand in the third period, as Tampa Bay struck three times, including a power-play goal.

That particular goal, which was scored by the prolific Steven Stamkos, carried extra significance, because Montreal had proven to be almost Invincible when killing off penalties. After all, they had turned opponents away 32 straight times over 13 games.

The Canadians have, for the most part, been outstanding on defense, especially the play of forwards Patrick Danault and Brendan Gallagher, but they sometimes sputter on offense, and that was evidenced by just 19 shots on goal. Shea Weber led the way in that department with five. They need much more "push" up front.

In the Stanley Cup playoff odds that have been posted on this game at BetAnySports, the Lightning are considerable favorites, even more so then in the opener:

Tampa Bay Lightning -210
Montreal Canadiens  +175

Lightning -1.5 Goals +125
Canadiens +1.5 Goals -145

Over 5 Goals -120
Under 5 Goals +100

Obviously some adjustments are in order for the Montreal side. In case you don't know, Luke Richardson has been filling in as head coach in place of Dominique Ducharme, who has been out as part of the NHL's Covid protocol. He is going to have to do something to prevent Tampa Bay's top line from becoming a runaway freight train. Nikita Kucherov has been incredible throughout these playoffs, end in the third period of Monday's game, he had two goals and an assist. He now has 30 points in the playoffs, more than any other player.

For Carey Price, like Kucherov a former MVP, it was a difficult evening in net for Montreal. One would expect he could revert back to the form that earned him a 2.02 goals-against average and .934 save percentage in the postseason. But allowing four goals was not the most auspicious way to make his career debut in a Stanley Cup Final.

For the Canadiens, it's obviously been a rather strange season, because they now have their third different head coach directing things from the bench. Ducharme would seem to have an opportunity to come back for Game 3, but you really have to give this team credit for fighting through a lot of distractions, and that includes injuries.

Speaking of injuries, Tampa Bay forward Alex Killorn, who was the third leading scorer in the playoffs coming into Game 1, is listed as questionable for this game. And Joel Armia, who scored two short-handed goals in Game 3 against Winnipeg, might be back in action for the Canadians after a bout with Covid-19.

We thought before this series began that goaltenders might dominate the action. We've talked about Price, and Andrei Vasilevskiy has been unreal for Tampa Bay, coming into the finals with a 1.98 goals-against in the postseason, a figure that dropped on Monday.

Let's not forget that Gallagher and Danault helped slow down Toronto's Auston Matthews, the league's leading goalscorer, in the incredible comeback series win against the Maple Leafs, holding him to just one goal (he had scored 41 during the regular season). So we don't see any reason not to go UNDER in what could be a defensive struggle, the way Monday's game should have been.

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