Canadiens vs. Lightning Game 1 Pick
Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final will be held Monday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL, where the Lightning will host the Canadiens at 8:00 p.m. ET. With the Bolts laying big odds as a moneyline favorite and the total sitting at 5 goals, what’s the best play for Game 1?
Game Snapshot
061 Montreal Canadiens vs. 062 Tampa Bay Lightning (-200); o/u 5
8:00 p.m. ET, Monday, June 28, 2021
Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
TV: NBCSN
Montreal Canadiens DFS Spin
There’s been a striking difference between Carey Price in the regular season compared to playoffs in recent years. Over the last two seasons, Price has a 39-32-11 record, 2.74 GAA, and .907 save percentage in 83 starts, but in both campaigns, he returned to form for the playoffs. He had a 1.78 GAA and .936 save percentage in 10 starts in the 2020 playoffs and has led the Canadiens to the finals this year with a 2.02 GAA and .934 save percentage in 17 playoff contests. It seems Price is at his best when the stakes are high. “I guess the expression we could use, he’s a big-game player,” Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said of Price. “He rises to the occasion. He does extremely well under pressure. The big moments, the Olympics, he was outstanding. I was part of the management team at the World Cup, he was outstanding. When the game’s on the line … I think they had a (players’) poll at some point in the past that if you need a big game to win who do you want to be your goaltender? It’s Carey Price. So I think what you see now it’s how he’s been.” At this point, the one thing misses from Price’s resume is a Stanley Cup championship. He’s four wins away from getting that, but the Lightning will be his greatest test yet.
Tampa Bay Lightning DFS Spin
Steven Stamkos is glad to be playing regularly this postseason after he was limited to one appearance during the team’s 2020 playoff run. Stamkos did not play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs until Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against Dallas and he logged just 2:47 of ice time. “For me as a player, you just want to contribute in any way you can,” he said on Sunday. “Last year was a small part. This year, a little bigger part, but as long as you are a part of that group, that’s all you can ask for as an athlete. Obviously, as a player you want to be on the ice helping your teammates win. So that’s the best feeling.” Stamkos has seven goals and 17 points in 18 appearances this postseason.
Stanley Cup Final Prediction
The under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings between these two teams in Tampa and has cashed in five of the last six meetings overall. The under is also 3-0-4 in the Canadiens’ last seven games, is 2-0-2 in their last four road games and is 3-0-4 in their last seven games as an underdog. On the other side, the under is 9-3-2 in the Lightning’s last 14 games overall, is 8-1-2 in their last 11 games coming off a win and is 5-2-3 in their last 10 Stanley Cup Final games.
NHL STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 1 PREDICTION: CANADIENS/LIGHTNING UNDER 5