The Tampa Bay Lightning (62-32-3-5) have raced – literally – to the Stanley Cup Finals. They'll hope that their team speed is enough to skate past the Chicago Blackhawks (60-32-4-3) in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday night.
SPEED KILLS
With a total of just 5 in this one, there probably won't be all that much in the way of goals, thus there won't be much in the way of swings in live betting. Every goal is going to mean a ton, so you have to get in on live betting with perfect timing to get the best price.
Though it is impossible to forecast the exact time that a goal is going to hit the back of the net, what we do know is that the Lightning have one way and one way only they are going to win games in this series. They absolutely have to be faster to the puck than the Blackhawks are.
Go back and watch all of the goals which the Lightning scored late in their series win over the Rangers. They were getting to pucks in the neutral zone or pucks that were dumped into the corners faster than the Rangers, and the trailers on the play (usually Tyler Johnson or Steven Stamkos) always seemed to be Johnny on the spot to create scoring opportunities.
Of course, if you watch Chicago, you'll notice that it has been significantly faster than every team it has played against in these playoffs as well. That speed was what wrecked Minnesota, and when Joel Quenneville put Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the ice together, not even the line of Ryan Kesler and Corey Perry could keep up for Anaheim.
As live bettors, we can use our eyes to tell us what's really going on. If Tampa Bay looks the faster of the two teams, know that it is probably going to have the better opportunities to score over the course of this game.
BEATING THE BISHOP
The Blackhawks shot the puck at an insane 16 percent clip in the last four games of their series against the Ducks. Some of that was outstanding play, particularly by Toews, who had five goals in that stretch. And yes, some of it had to do with the fact that Frederik Andersen looked like a deer in headlights when the going really got tough later on in that series.
Ben Bishop is the great unknown, though. There are games where he can just look fantastic. He shut out the Rangers in Game 7, just as he did in Game 7 against the Red Wings, and he did the same in Game 5. However, he also allowed five goals before getting hooked in Game 6 against New York, and he allowed five goals in both Games 3 and 4 as well.
So are we going to see the good Ben Bishop or the bad Ben Bishop?
The key could be odd angle shots, and no one does that better in the NHL than Chicago. Toews has scored some goals from some ridiculous angles over time, and Bishop has had problems these whole playoffs stopping shots from players who are standing out of his direct line of sight.
The Lightning have done a fantastic job of getting in front of pucks and blocking shots, but the Blackhawks have a knack for skating around and taking shots anyway, even if they come from weird positions on the ice.
Chicago doesn't have to necessarily score from those odd angles to be a good bet in live betting, but we have a lot of confidence if pucks are getting through, that Bishop and the Bolts are going to be in a lot of trouble.
BookMaker sent out the NHL spread for Game 1 at Tampa Bay -125 and a total of 5. Live wagering during the run of play offers an adjusted puck-line as well as moneyline and total prices. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning will start at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. Game 1 of this series will be televised nationally on NBC.
