The Montreal Canadiens are on a Cinderella run in the 2021 NHL Playoffs, and they will look to complete their fairy tale ride, as they face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals. The Habs have turned it on in the postseason, upsetting all their last three series opponents, but do they have enough in the tank to take down the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning?

NitroBetting news team offers you a guide that covers specifics of the best hockey and sporting events coming your way. We bring you an all-inclusive guide that tackles the teams, NHL odds, their respective betting trends, and our very own expert betting predictions. Be sure to be on the lookout for updated NHL odds and lines out our online Bitcoin sportsbook before placing your bets!

Canadiens vs. Lightning Game 1 Information

• When: Friday, June 25th, 2021, 8:00 PM ET
• Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
• TV: NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS
• Radio: TSN 690 AM (Canadiens) // AM 970 WFLA (Lightning)
• Live Stream: NHL Live
• NHL Betting Odds: Tampa Bay Lightning (-200) / OU: 5.0

Why Bet on the Montreal Canadiens?

The Canadiens are not a fluke. While they finished the regular season with the least points among all teams that clinched a spot in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Habs defeated the high-powered Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, pitched a shutout in the second round against the Winnipeg Jets, and scored a gigantic upset in the third round in eliminating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 7.

That’s not the kind of success that should be attributed to luck. For one, the Canadiens have one of the best goalies of the past decade in the form of the resurgent Carey Price. The netminder has a 12-7-0 record in the playoffs, thus far. He also owns an impressive 2.02 GAA and .934 SV%. More on defense, the Habs’ special teams have been unforgiving against opposing power plays. They enter the Finals with a 93.5 PK% — easily the best in the postseason.

Why Bet on the Tampa Bay Lightning?

The Lightning took the New York Islanders’ best shot and still came away with a series win in the semifinals, taking care of business in seven games. The Bolts wouldn’t have come this far without the incredible play of Andrei Vasilvevskiy between the pipes. If you think Price has been fantastic, then you got to be more appreciative of Vasilevskiy’s postseason performance. He has a 12-6-0 record and a 1.99 GAA and .936 SV% in the playoffs. That’s not to mention his four shutout wins, two coming in the Islanders series.

But Vasilevsky aside, the Lightning will also have an elite top line and a deep set of talented forwards to rely on offensively. Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov should be a nightmare for Montreal, while the second line of Alex Killorn, Anthony Cirelli, and Steven Stamkos is expected to keep the scoring threat high on the ice for the Bolts. The Lightning have a PDO of 102.4 in the playoffs to just 100.5 by the Habs.

Canadiens vs. Lightning Betting Trends

• The Canadiens are 4-0 in their last four games after their opponents give up two goals or fewer in the previous contest.
• The Canadiens are 6-1 in their last seven games as the road underdog.
• The Canadiens are 11-2 in their last 13 games against a team with a winning record.
• The Lightning are 4-1 in their last five Stanley Cup Finals games.
• The Lightning are 14-6 in their last 20 games as a favorite in the playoffs.
• The Lightning are 9-4 in their last 13 games.

Canadiens vs. Lightning Expert Betting Predictions

The Lightning are the heavy favorites to win the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals, but the Canadiens have just shown in the third round that they are very much capable of taking down a giant. Montreal has a tough top line that has crippled the likes of Auston Matthews, Kyle Connor, and Mark Stone, so it’s hard to count them out silencing Tampa Bay’s first line. Then again, the Lightning have so many talented skaters to throw at Tampa Bay plus a solid goaltender behind them. Game 1 could play out a lot closer than what most people expect, though, so look out for a low-scoring contest.

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.