By all accounts, the Tampa Bay Lightning (62-33-3-5) probably should have beaten the Chicago Blackhawks (61-32-4-3) in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The magic from the Midway struck quickly in the third though, and that has given the Blackhawks huge momentum going into Game 2 Saturday night.
ODDS ANALYSIS
We're very likely faced with another stock moneyline in this game. We expect to continue seeing the home team favored by around a -130 margin in this series, and Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals should be no exception.
Tampa Bay might get the slight nod beyond that point, knowing that it was the better team for a good 50 minutes in Game 1 before things got a little hairy, but we don't expect more than -135.
GOALIE REPORT
It could have really all fallen apart for Corey Crawford early in Game 1. The Lightning were right in front of his crease the entire first period for all intents and purposes, and the shot which Alex Killorn got on net from a terrible angle off of a deflection wasn't going to be stopped by any goalie.
Instead, Crawford bucked up and didn't allow a goal for the rest of the game to raise his record to 10-3-1 in this postseason.
Ben Bishop meanwhile, played well, too. He allowed two goals on 21 shots, which isn't all that fantastic, but there was little that anyone would have done about the two Chicago goals.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"Yeah, we got better as the game went on. I thought our second period improved after the first. We had a slow start in the third. A lot of zone time, threats off the rush as well." – Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville summarizing Game 1 against the Lightning
SITUATIONAL BETTING
Very quietly, the Blackhawks are starting to struggle on the power play again. They weren't good on the man advantage in the regular season, and they have scored just three times in their last 23 chances on the power play dating back to Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against Anaheim.
Chicago was 0-for-2 with the man advantage on Wednesday night, though we must admit that it made more of its two chances on the power play than Tampa did with its three.
PROP TALK
The middling lines for the Blackhawks always seem to come up big this time of year. Teuvo Teravaninen was the hero with a goal and an assist in Game 1, and he's only a fourth line player for the most part. We know that guys like Antoine Vermette, who scored the winner, Andrew Shaw, who assisted on the winner, and Kris Versteeg, who was a late addition to the lineup are going to have their say in Game 2 as well.
Betting on the little guys to produce for Chicago could be a great bet.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
No matter what Chicago does to prepare for Game 2, we just don't see it winning this game.
Bishop has had a knack for bouncing back quicker than any other goalie we have seen in these playoffs, and we suspect that he is going to put on a fine performance on Saturday night.
Parlay all of that with a very fast Tampa Bay team which showed that speed to create a ton of scoring chances, and you've got the makings of this being a tied series at a game apiece going back to Chicago.
Tampa Bay 3, Chicago 2
BookMaker will open the odds for this Saturday game before anyone else on the internet. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly interface on your smartphone or tablet provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! Game 2 of the series between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning will start at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 6, 2015 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
