Will Game 2 be another thriller?
The two best teams in the league in a direct duel – and already Game 1 has shown that this series should deliver what it promises. The deserved conference winners will certainly face each other and no surprise teams like in previous years.
However, this also means that each game is almost a 50:50 duel, with slight advantages for the home team in each case. The Avs benefited from this on Wednesday, winning 4-3 after overtime thanks to the support of their fans.
They will have that support again on Saturday. However, since the odds on them are significantly lower than on Tampa, betting on them should be enjoyed with caution. However, we find exciting alternatives below.
For Avalanche vs Lightning, our prediction is definitely another thriller that can go either way. It will once again come down to efficiency and which goalie can generate stops in the decisive moments. Here we even see slight advantages for the Bolts.
Colorado Avalanche – Statistics & current form
1:0 for the Avalanche in the battle of the forces of nature against the storm. But that’s not even half the battle, and Head Coach Jared Bednar’s men know it. In the last round, the Bolts even turned around a 0:2 score.
So every single game counts – especially in front of their own fans. A single away win against the Rangers was the secret of Tampa’s success. So the Avs will be under at least as much pressure as the Lightning in Game 2.
Does Kuemper get the nod again?
One of the most intriguing questions for Game 2 might be the Avs’ goalie personnel. Darcy Kuemper is back from injury and was given the nod in Game 2. He only half justified that trust, though.
With a save percentage of 89.5% over the postseason, he is clearly behind his backup Pavel Francouz (90.6%), who also secured the victory for the Avs several times in the Conference Finals. For us, a change here would make sense.
However, coaches often tend to trust their regular number 1 a little more than the backup. This could come back to haunt them in the end. Game 2 should be very decisive here about the ongoing line-up.
Offense still going strong
The Avs offence, on the other hand, continues to run like clockwork, firing a whopping 38 times at the Bolts’ box in Game 1. They could even afford a rather average efficiency and still win.
For Saturday, however, we expect a more offensive Bolts team that will not run into the open knife again at the beginning of the game. The shooting statistics should be much closer and then it will only depend on who makes better use of their scoring chances.
For us, a clear example of “it will depend on the form of the day”. Thus, for Colorado vs. Tampa, the odds on the Lightning are even slightly more playable than on the Avs, even though we would rather avoid pure win bets. Bets on individual scorers (e.g. Kucherov) or assists (e.g. Makar, Hedman) are nice alternatives.
Key Players:
G: Darcy Kuemper
D: Devon Toews
D: Cale Makar
LW: Valeri Nichuskin
C: Nathan MacKinnon
RW: Mikko Rantanen
Tampa Bay Lightning – Statistics & current form
Once again, the Lightning are down 0-1 in a playoff series. Just like they did in Round 1 against Toronto or in the Conference Finals against the Rangers. So no reason to worry for the reigning champions.
Game 2 is therefore also more of a bonus game. With a win, they would even slide into the favourite position for the Cup. Success in Denver is not impossible, as Game 1 already showed. There they were only one shot away from an away victory.
Bolts need to shoot more often
But in return, they have to take shots. In Game 1, they had just 23 shots on goal in the Avs’ box. The fact that their goalie Kuemper is vulnerable was then also shown by three goals from these shots.
So the tactic for Game 2 should be to get the puck right more often. The Oilers had already demonstrated this in the previous round, even if they failed miserably defensively in the end. But they still gave the Avalanche 13 goals in four games.
Stamkos and Hedman challenged
With the Bolts slightly outplayed (who would have thought we’d be writing this), it comes down to the leaders on the team to lead the way here. With Hedman (defensively) and Stamkos (offensively) they have two great leaders on the ice.
They have to push the team forward a bit more now so that they don’t get pushed back. For Avs vs. Bolts a bet on a goal by Stamos is therefore possible. However, we recommend betting on a goal by Kucherov, who should score on Saturday.
Key Players:
G: Andrei Vasilevskiy
D: Victor Hedman
D: Jan Rutta
LW: Ondrej Palat
C: Brayden Point
RW: Nikita Kucherov
Colorado Avalanche – Tampa Bay Lightning Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The Avs have taken their head-to-head record to 4-1 in their last five games. But it was again very close and could have tipped either way in overtime. We expect it to stay that even.
Does that make it possible to bet on a draw? It is indeed the case that three of the last four duels have gone into overtime and we can imagine that this will also be the case for further games in this series. However, we would wait with bets on the games in Tampa.
For Saturday and the second game Avalanche vs. Lightning, a bet on a Nikita Kucherov goal is our No.1 betting option Why? Because statistically it’s his turn again and Bet365 is even offering a betting boost, raising the odds to 3.00.
Colorado Avalanche – Tampa Bay Lightning Tip
We weren’t that wrong with our prediction that the Bolts had a good chance, even if they didn’t quite get it over the finish line in the end. Again, we have a lot of confidence in them for Game 2. However, we would put our bets on them for Saturday on the back burner.
Not, however, on individual scorers. At Bet365, we get a betting boost for bets on a goal by Nikita Kucherov or an assist by Victor Hedman. Both options are well playable and therefore our betting recommendations.
Betting alternatives for Game 2 are then again underdog tips on the Bolts, who should again ensure a close game. Whether it will be enough in the end is uncertain, which is why betting on X2 is a nice option. In the second duel between the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning, this forecast brings betting odds of about 1.75 with it.
