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We are now just one day away from Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, which means that it is the perfect time to look back at how the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning made it there. Hockey fans are well aware of just how tough it is to win the 16 games required for a team to get their hands on the Stanley Cup, and now we have 2 teams that are just 4 wins away from hitting that magic number. Both teams took a very different road to the final, so let’s break it all down before we get to Game 1 and you can get ready to bet against their Stanley Cup Odds.

The Road to the Stanley Cup Final | NHL Playoffs Betting Analysis

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning came into the postseason as the #5 seed and opened things up against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The general feeling heading into that series was that it would be a long one, which proved to be the case. The Maple Leafs looked to have the series in hand after taking a 3-2 lead, with a home game still to come, but the Lightning came back to win Games 6 and 7 to move on.

Next up for the Lightning was a state rivalry series versus the Florida Panthers. As good as Tampa has been over the last few seasons, they looked to be up against it versus the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Lightning had very different ideas, though, with the goaltending and defense kicking in at the right time. Tampa won the series in a 4-game sweep, outscoring the high-flying Panthers 13-3 in the process.

Defense went out the window for the first 2 games of the Eastern Conference Final, with the New York Rangers taking a 2-0 series lead on home ice, outscoring the Lightning 9-4 in those games. It all changed in Game 3, with Tampa getting back to what they do best. They won the next 4 games, outscoring the Rangers 12-5.

Colorado Avalanche

When a team comes into the season as the overwhelming favorite to win a championship, we often see them buckle under the pressure. No such issues for the Colorado Avalanche, though, as they cruised to the #1 seed in the Western Conference. They opened up against the Nashville Predators and fired a warning shot to every other team in the postseason. They won that series in a sweep, outscoring the Predators 21-9.

The Avalanche were made to work a little harder in Round 2, but even though it took them 6 games to knock off the St. Louis Blues, they never really looked to be in any real danger. They were never behind in the series and always seemed to be in control. Being pushed to 6 games maybe served as a little wake up call after such an easy opening round.

If it was a wake-up call, then it worked, as they went into the Western Conference Final and swept the Edmonton Oilers in 4 games. This sweep wasn’t as straightforward as the defeat of the Predators in Round 1, as they had to up the offense against a dangerous Oilers team. The Avs did get the sweep, though, outscoring the Oilers 22-13 in the process.

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