There is always a lot of pressure on the defending Stanley Cup champions when they start their postseason run the following year, but what about the team that was the runner-up the previous season. You always hear people talk about how no-one remembers who finished second, but you can bet that the other teams in the NHL are well aware of their presence. Last season it was the Tampa Bay Lightning who came up a little short, and there are plenty of NHL fans who believe this year may be their last shot for a while, as it appears as though team leader Steven Stamkos will be on the move once the cup has been hoisted in a couple of months. That puts a lot of pressure on a team expected to do well, but they have started things off in a good way, and have a chance to close out their opening round series against the Detroit Red Wings on home ice on Thursday night. The full NHL betting odds for this one can be found at MyBookie.ag.
How To Bet The Red Wings Vs Lightning NHL Playoff Odds, TV & Game Info
When: Thursday, April 21 at 7 PM EST
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa Bay, Florida
TV: NBCSN
Radio: Red Wings and Lightning
Live Stream: NBCSN
NHL Odds: TBA
Why bet on the Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings have put up a pretty decent fight in this series, but their lack of firepower has hurt them overall. They have scored 2 goals in each of the 4 games so far, which isn’t really enough to take down a team that may be missing its top scorer, but which still has a number of guys who can put the puck in the net. The defense did manage to win a single game for the Wings, posting a 2-0 shutout victory in Game 3, but other than that, it’s just not been good enough. If truth be told, a playoff spot was probably more than Detroit expected from this season, and it’s hard to see them coming back from this 3-1 deficit.
Why bet on the Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning have a number of key players out through injury right now, and they would love nothing more than to get out of this series as quickly as possible. That should give them all the motivation they need heading into Game 5 on home ice, where you really have to think they are more than good enough to close things out. It has been surprising how Detroit have been able to keep these games close, but they are running into a bit of a wall in the form of Ben Bishop in the Tampa net. Another solid performance from him, as well as another solid display from special teams should see the Lightning get the job done.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
The Red Wings are going to come out fighting, but you have to feel that a lot of life went out of them with the Game 4 loss. It’ll be another close one, I think, but I like Tampa to move on to round 2 on Thursday.
Detroit Red Wings 2 Tampa Bay Lightning 3
