Canadiens vs. Lightning: Stanley Cup Final Game 2 odds, preview, and pick

The Tampa Bay Lightning made light work of the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, winning 5-1 behind a three-point game from Nikita Kucherov.

Can the Canadiens bounce back, or will the Lightning take a 2-0 series lead into Montreal? Let’s start finding out as we dive into the facts and figures ahead of Wednesday night’s Game 2 at Amalie Arena.

Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning, 8:00 p.m. ET, NBCSN

The Canadiens find themselves between a rock and a hard place as they head into Game 2. If their offense is as quiet as it was in Game 1, they’re highly unlikely to win. But if they attempt to ratchet up the pressure on the Lightning defense, they could well find themselves getting blown out.

The Habs tallied only 19 shots on Monday night, which simply isn’t good enough against Tampa netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Vezina Trophy finalist has been outstanding this postseason, recording a 1.94 GAA and .940 save percentage to go with four shutouts.

Montreal has not been winning with offense in the Stanley Cup playoffs, as they’re averaging just 2.44 goals per game. That’s put a lot of pressure on goaltender Carey Price, who can’t be expected to stand on his head forever. He faced just 27 shots in Game 1, but the Bolts generated many high-danger scoring chances.

The Canadiens are in a “catch-22” situation against a team that they’ve lost five straight against (seven straight on the road). The odds are anything but generous on the Lightning, but those willing to take a risk and bet on Tampa to take a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final in regulation could get rewarded.  

NHL pick: Lightning to win in regulation (-124)

Featured player prop: Ondrej Palat to score at least one point (-118)

Ondrej Palat nearly had an amazing goal in the third period of Game 1, but instead the credit was given to Kucherov, who appeared to be going for the assist.

As it stands, Palat walked away with just an assist on the night. But it was the fourth time in five postseason games he managed to find the scoresheet, the lone exception being Tampa’s skinny 1-0 win in Game 7 over the New York Islanders.

The underrated Palat is available at generous odds to tally a point in Game 2, so prop bettors should take advantage.