The Colorado Avalanche have followed through on a dominant regular season to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The reward? A match-up against the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Pre-series odds listed the Avalanche as favorites.
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The Lightning are trying to catch lightning in a bottle thrice (sorry). The last time the NHL had a “three-peat” champ was when the New York Islanders won the Cup four straight seasons from 1980 to 1983. If the Lightning are going to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup for a third consecutive season, it will require a dedicated effort in all facets on the ice.
Stanley Cup Finals Odds 2022
Colorado won Game 4 on Wednesday night to take a 3-1 series lead to put itself within one win of lifting the Cup, but Tampa Bay rallied to win Game 5 in Denver on Sunday to delay a potential Colorado celebration by at least two more days. Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday night in Tampa. The Avs are favored to win Game 6 and the series by all of Colorado’s sports betting apps. Here are the latest odds for both of those betting markets.
| Sportsbook | Game 6 Moneyline | Series Odds |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | Colorado -115 Tampa Bay -105 | Colorado -400 Tampa Bay +320 |
| Caesars | Colorado -115 Tampa Bay -105 | Colorado -430 Tampa Bay +330 |
| BetMGM | Colorado -115 Tampa Bay -105 | Colorado -450 Tampa Bay +320 |
Keys To An Avalanche Victory In The Stanley Cup
The last time the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup was in 2001 when Ray Bourque was still in skates. This team is spurred by offense-minded defensemen and a deep rotation of point-getters on its lines.
To win the Cup, it’s necessary for Colorado to shake off the rust. The Avs will have waited nine days after a convincing sweep of the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals to play a game. But, it may not be an issue. The Avs went eight days idle after a sweep of Nashville Predators in the first round and won the series opener against St. Louis in the next round. Rust? What rust?
Goaltending will be crucial not only because it always is at this juncture of the playoffs, but due to the fact that regular goalie Darcy Kuemper missed the final three games against the Oilers. Yet the Avs kept humming, winning with popular Czech Pavel Francouz in net. Colorado has yet to announce which of those two will start Game 1 against Tampa Bay.
Conn Smythe Trophy Odds and Top Goal Scorer
Several sportsbooks are also offering odds for the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is given to the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
| SPORTSBOOK | CONN SMYTHE TROPHY |
|---|---|
| DraftKings | Cale Makar -300 Andrei Vasilevskiy +700 Nathan MacKinnon +800 |
| FanDuel | Cale Makar -360 Nathan MacKinnon +600 Andrei Vasilevskiy +650 |
Stanley Cup Finals Schedule
Game 1: Colorado 4, Tampa Bay 3 (OT)
Game 2: Colorado 7, Tampa Bay 0
Game 3: Tampa Bay 6, Colorado 2
Game 4: Colorado 3, Tampa Bay 2 (OT)
Game 5: Tampa Bay 3, Colorado 2
Game 6: Sunday, June 26, 6 p.m. MT at Tampa Bay
Game 7*: Tuesday, June 28, 6 p.m. MT at Colorado
*If necessary
AP Photo/Jack Dempsey