So much for home ice advantage! The road team has won four of the first six games of this series between the Tampa Bay Lightning (53-27-3-5) and the Detroit Red Wings (46-27-5-10). That might strangely give the edge to the boys from Motown as they enter Game 7 down in the Sunshine State.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Lightning are really big -170 favorites in this game, but they aren't quite as chalky as they were in Game 5 when Detroit pulled off the upset at +165. Road teams winning three in a row have certainly tempered expectations just a bit, but the bottom line is that Tampa Bay was one of the biggest favorites to advance out of the first round of the playoffs, and that's why it’s favored by such a big margin in Game 7.
GOALIE REPORT
For just the second time in this series, Petr Mrazek has cracked. He allowed four goals on just 27 shots in Game 6, and one has to wonder whether the rookie is truly capable of closing out this series or not. Mike Babcock is sticking to his guns and leaving his rook in the pipes in Game 7 come hell or high water, and he is going to ride or die with Mrazek.
There's still something about Ben Bishop and the Bolts that bothers us. Bishop hasn't had a game yet in this series in which he has allowed fewer than two goals, and if he does win this game and again allows two strikes, he would become the first goalie in a decade and a half to win a seven-game series by playing in all seven games without getting yanked and allowing 2+ goals in all seven starts.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We skated. That's what changed. Pucks were going tape to tape, and we put them in areas we could get them." – Lightning head coach Jon Cooper on why the Bolts won Game 6 5-2 in Detroit
SITUATIONAL BETTING
The talk late in this series featured Cooper complaining about Detroit and the interference calls that he believes it is getting away with. The Lightning only drew two penalties in the totality of Game 6, and they ended up in the sin bin seven times. It's worth noting though, that the refs weren't letting nearly as much of the grabbing and the holding go on in Game 6 as they were for the rest of this series, which could set the Lightning up well on the power play.
PROP TALK
The Lightning might be feeling good about themselves, but Steven Stamkos probably still isn't. Sure, he had an assist in Game 6, but he’s still yet to light the lamp in this series. It's really tough to bet on him in Game 7, though history will tell you that No. 91 tends to shine in big games for the Bolts.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
That said, we still aren't sure the Lightning are really ready for this yet. This is still a really young and inexperienced team going against a team which has had a history of winning tight Game 7s against better opponents on the road. Detroit has to have confidence having come here and won twice already, and we think it will do so once again to bounce Tampa Bay out of the playoffs on Wednesday night.
Detroit 4, Tampa Bay 3
The NHL odds for this Wednesday contest will be released first by BookMaker. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time odds and player props during the game. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning will start at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. Game 7 of this series will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
