Tampa Bay Lightning at Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup Finals Game 2 Betting Preview/Prop Picks

Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals is set for Saturday night between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado comes into this game with a 1-0 series lead after picking up a thrilling overtime win in the series opener. 

Tampa Bay is looking for its third straight Stanley Cup title, but this will be the hardest and most improbable of the three. The Lightning have proven that they can come back in a series, but it’s imperative to pick up a win on Saturday night. 

Colorado improved its playoff record to 13-2 on the year with the win on Wednesday night, and they are nearly unbeatable at home. The Avalanche have been the title favorites since the season began, and they are now just three wins away. 

The Colorado Avalanche are the moneyline betting favorites at -154 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. 

Lightning Need More Shots

The Tampa Bay Lightning were able to score three goals in the loss in Game 1, but they only managed to get 23 shots on goal. Scoring goals is obviously important for the Lightning, but they have to find a way to get more consistent pressure. 

Ondrej Palat scored his ninth goal of the playoffs in the loss, and the Lightning failed to convert on the power play. Tampa Bay wants to slow down the pace of this game, but they have to capitalize on scoring chances. 

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevsiy stopped 34 shots in Game 1, but he also got off to a very rough start. Tampa Bay needs a dominant performance from Vasilevskiy if they are going to steal a game on the road. 

Avalanche Just Loaded With Offense

The Colorado Avalanche have so many offensive weapons that they are able to score during every single shift of the game. Colorado had 38 shots on goal in the Game 1 win, and they are scoring nearly 4.5 goals per game in the postseason. 

Gabriel Landeskog scored his ninth goal of the playoffs to get the offense rolling in the series opener. Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 11 playoff goals, and he can strike at any time. 

Goaltender Darcy Kuemper wasn’t great in the first game, but he was good enough to get his team a win. Colorado wants to score goals, but they also need a big performance from their goaltender. 

Colorado Comes Up With Another Win

Tampa Bay will once again play Colorado extremely tough in Game 2, and that will be a theme throughout this entire series. The Lightning did a good job of getting the pace slowed down a bit in Game 1, but they just don’t have enough offense to keep up.

The Avalanche were able to shake off the rust quickly in Game 1, and they should be even more comfortable in Game 2. Colorado has been the best team in the playoffs by far, and they won’t miss a chance to pick up another win on their home ice. 

Bet the Colorado Avalanche -154 as they win for a second straight game to take a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Prop Picks

Colorado (+110) OVER 3.5 Goals

Colorado is averaging 3.8 goals per game, which ranks No. 4 in the league, while converting on 24.0 percent of its power plays, which ranks No. 7. Scores have gone OVER in five of the Avalanche’s last seven games following a win.

With Dunkel predicting a Colorado victory by the score of 4-3, take the Avalanche (+110) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 3.5 goals against Tampa Bay.

Cale Makar (-150) OVER 0.5 Assists

Makar had 58 assists in 77 games during the regular season, which ranked No. 2 on the Avalanche. The defenseman has added 17 assists in 15 games during the postseason, which ranks No. 1 on the Avalanche.

With Dunkel predicting an Avalanche win while going OVER their Vegas goal total, take Makar (-150) to finish OVER his Vegas total of 0.5 assists versus the Lightning.

Keep up with your latest NHL news coverage and betting pick previews at The Dunkel Index.

All Media on this page by Associated Press.