Last season, the Montreal Canadiens (54-25-6-5) swept the Tampa Bay Lightning (56-26-3-5) out of the playoffs. Since then, the Bolts have won seven games in a row in this series, and they could put a chokehold on this series with a win on Wednesday night.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Considering the fact that the Lightning won as +106 and +122 underdogs in Games 1 and 2, we know that they are going to be getting the nod by probably about a -140 margin in Game 3.
GOALIE REPORT
Carey Price seems to have this problem every single season. He seems to always fall apart somewhere along the way in the playoffs. We're not sure why he wasn't pulled out of Game 2 after allowing six goals, but he wasn't, and now, he has to get ready to play on back-to-back days against a team which has owned him this season.
Meanwhile, Ben Bishop is the hottest goalie in hockey at the moment. He’s allowed just five goals in his last four games, a far cry from the man who was terrible at the outset of the series against the Red Wings. Bishop has at least a .931 save percentage in each of his last three individual games, and he would expect nothing less on Wednesday.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"It was definitely a release of some things that have been building up. Whether it's my first or my 20th, at that time of the game, to go up, your emotions are running high. Any time you score a goal in the playoffs it's exciting, but that one maybe a little more so than others I've scored." – Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who scored his first goal of the playoffs in Game 2
SITUATIONAL BETTING
The Lightning had been on a 0-for-25 slump on the power play before Game 2 against Montreal. And then the floodgates opened.
The Bolts tallied four times on the man advantage on Sunday night, and they could be starting to kick back into elite-level form on the man advantage, something that is scary for the Habs to prepare for.
PROP TALK
The lid has been popped for the Stammer, and we wonder whether he’s set to explode. Three points in Game 2 might be just what he needs to get going again, especially with that goal scored. We know one thing is for sure, and that's that we aren't betting against No. 91 for the rest of this series.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
Still, we feel like the Lightning aren't out of the woods yet. They didn't play that well at home against the Red Wings, and though things got out of hand in Game 2, they aren't going to have that same degree of success on the man advantage the remainder of this series.
If Montreal buckles down on the kill and Price gets back to his Vezina-esque ways, this could quickly become a series again, especially knowing these teams are going to be right back on the ice 20 hours or so after leaving it on Wednesday.
Montreal 2, Tampa Bay 1
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 Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning will start at 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. Game 3 of this series will be televised live on USA.
