NHL Best Bet: Monday June 20th

The Avalanche have opened up the Stanley Cup finals with a pair of home wins so now it is up to the Lightning to respond at home for game 3 on Monday night. Our resident U.S tipster Ej Garr presents our readers with another lovely offer on the total of the opening frame of the match.

NHL Best Bet Game 3 June 20

• Tampa Bay vs. Colorado: Over 1.5 1st Period Goals

Odds as of 9 am June 19th 2022. Odds may now differ.

Tampa Bay vs. Colorado Best Bet

June 21, 01:00 (UK time)

Well, I must say that seeing Colorado completely humiliate the Lightning in Game 2 like that really sent a message that the Avalanche wants what Tampa Bay has. A BIG Trophy!

The two-time defending Cup champs are in trouble but let’s not forget that the Rangers took a 2 – 0 series lead on Tampa Bay and how did that work out again? Hmm hmm, well, Tampa Bay is here and the Rangers are not so that about sums that up. However, now that the Lightning has made their way back to try to win a third straight Stanley Cup Finals win, the only team we’ve seen playing hockey so far wears an Avs uniform.

What else can we take from Game 2? The damn final score was 7 – 0 and Colorado came out doing everything right as they did in Game 1. Colorado scored 3 goals in Game 1 in the 1st period and they broke out for 3 more in the 1st period of Game 2. The fact that the line setters are leaving us a reasonable value at 1.87 to expect Over 1.5 goals to start the game is fine by me.

Tampa Bay has GOT to come out strong tonight because if Colorado jumps out to an early 1 – 0 lead again the entire complexion of the building will change. Granted, that is exactly what Colorado would love to do while deflating the air but my gut is telling me that Tampa will score the first goal tonight. I know, 16 shots are simply not going to get anything done and if Tampa Bay comes out defensive-minded the Avalanche have proven they don’t care.

Colorado has won or been tied at the end of regulation in their last 10 games overall, and we all thought Edmonton was putting up numbers, right? Scoring goals for this team looks so easy right now and until Tampa Bay shows any of us that they can slow this train down, we need to just go with what we are seeing happen in this series to this point. Colorado has come out guns a blazing and they have made Andrei Vasilevskiy look pretty bad which is not easy to do.

As you might have seen me mention in my previous posts through these playoffs, Vasilevskiy has had 5 years of success putting up stupid numbers in the net and that includes being swept out of the 2019 playoffs completely.

Vasilevskiy’s career honors stack up as a heroes welcome home featuring Vesina Awards and a pair of Stanley Cups plugging his ears if anyone wants to talk too much smack. His team records in the regular and post-season are all going to be hard to catch when he is done lacing them up but he needs to step up tonight or else the fat lady has some tuning up to do herself.

Tampa Bay is certainly in the must-win position and they did prove they could slow down this offense in Game 1. Colorado was held scoreless in the second and third periods of Game 1 before winning in overtime fashion, but the Lightning has to get back to doing what they do best. when they are not shooting the puck.

By the same token, shooting the puck has been an issue as Colorado has been the team preventing pucks to fly toward the frame. Darcy Kuemper has a shutout to his credit in the Stanely Cup Finals and he simply wasn’t tested enough in Game 2. Tampa Bay better use that hometown energy to score early and I expect Colorado to continue scoring in the opening frame. The both teams to score in the 1st-period prop bet are listed at 2.70 and I really do expect to see 1 – 1 as they go to the dressing room.

Regardless, the 1st period Over 1.5 is the play to make for Game 3 and I will see you for Game 4 on Wednesday.

• Selection: Over 1.5 1st Period Goals
• Best odds: 1.87 (Will Hill)
• Stakes 4/10

Odds as of 9 am June 19th 2022. Odds may now differ.

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