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The 2022 NHL Stanley Cup will feature the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Colorado have gone 12-2 in the playoffs. The Avs swept Nashville in the opening round, defeated the Blues in six games and then followed that up by sweeping the Oilers in the conference final.
Tampa Bay have gone 12-5 in the playoffs. They needed seven games to eliminate the Maple Leafs in the opening round. They swept the Panthers and eliminated the Rangers in six games.
2022 NHL Stanley Cup Series Betting Lines
Colorado Avalanche Odds to Win Stanley Cup: -170
Tampa Bay Lightning Odds to Win Stanley Cup: +150
The Avalanche have been a bit smoother in the NHL playoffs than the Lightning, but Tampa Bay have won the last two Stanley Cups and we’re a bit surprised with the current odds.
2022 NHL Stanley Cup Schedule
The 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Finals will get underway on Wednesday. Here’s the full schedule:
Game 1: Wednesday, June 15th 2022 at 8:00 PM ET
Game 2: Saturday, June 18th 2022 at 8:00 PM ET
Game 3: Monday, June 20th 2022 at 8:00 PM ET
Game 4: Wednesday, June 22nd 2022 at 8:00 PM ET
Game 5: Friday, June 24th 2022 at 8:00 PM ET
Game 6: Sunday, June 26th 2022 at 8:00 PM ET
Game 7: Tuesday, June 28th 2022 at 8:00 PM ET
Lightning vs. Avalanche Head-to-Head Analysis
These two teams don’t play against each other too often. They’ve met twice this season and the Avs have won both games. The first game ended in a shootout and the second game was decided by one goal.
We can likely expect goals in this series, as the over is 4-1 in the last five H2H games. The favorite has gone 15-4 in the last 19 meetings and the road team is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings.
Who Has the Edge?
Both teams have great offenses. Colorado averaged 3.8 GPG (2nd) and the Lightning averaged 3.5 GPG (6th) during the regular season. The Avs also have the edge in playoff scoring up to this point.
Colorado has averaged 4.6 GPG during the playoffs and the Lightning have averaged 3.1 GPG.
Tampa Bay have the edge in goaltending. The Lightning ranked 6th in GAA (2.59) during the regular season and the Avalanche ranked 8th in GAA (2.68).
The Avalanche will also have Darcy Kuemper back in net, which will help out a lot. Nazem Kadri hasn’t been ruled out of the series either, but it doesn’t appear he’ll be able to suit up.
The Lightning are also dealing with some injuries, but none bigger than Brayden Point. He has missed the last ten games, but he hasn’t been ruled out of the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Finals yet.
On paper, these two teams are very competitive and there isn’t much separating them.
2022 NHL Stanley Cup Prediction
Best Bet: Avalanche (-170)
We believe this series could end up going the distance, but the Avalanche have home ice advantage and they’re going to be hungry to win their first Cup since winning back in 2001.
The Lightning have won three cups (2004, 2020 and 2021) since the Avs have been crowned champions.
The Avalanche have the firepower to keep up with the Lightning and with Kuemper back in goal, they should be better defensively. The odds aren’t great, but we’re siding with the favorite.
Read our NHL player props betting guide to increase your betting arsenal for the upcoming series.
