Venue: Amalie Arena.
Game 7. The score in the series is 3-3.
The Stanley Cup semi-final series between Tampa and the New York Islanders finally reached Game 7. The decisive meeting will take place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa. Will the Lightning manage to claim their second straight Stanley Cup victory, or will Barry Trotz’s unstoppable Islanders stop the reigning champions? We’ll pick a few bets on this crucial match-up at once.
Tampa win all the important games
Of course, closing out the series on home ice in Game 6 would have been great for the Lightning. But, overall, it was no big deal. Yes, the defeat the day before yesterday led to the seventh game, but the Lightning will play at home. Home ice is the most important factor. All the games that could affect the outcome of the series were won by the Lightning, namely the second, third and fifth.
The Islanders will be difficult to resist in the decisive game
After the victory in the 5th game at home where Tampa simply destroyed the Islanders 8-0, John Cooper’s side confidently began the 6th meeting away. Brayden Point opened the scoring late in the first period and Anthony Cirelli doubled the lead midway through the second period. It looked as if the Islanders would never be able to escape. But Barry Trotz’s team once again showed character and managed to come back and take the game into overtime. The winning puck was assisted by Anthony Beauvillier. Also, Eberle and Mayfield scored for the Islanders in Game 7, but will the Islanders have enough energy after such a hard-fought comeback?
Expert Betting Tips
An extra difficulty for Tampa ahead of the decisive game of the series with the Islanders is Nikita Kucherov’s injury. In Game 6, the Islanders’ defenseman Scott Mayfield injured the Russian forward, allowing Kucherov to spend less than a minute on the ice. The participation of one of Lightning's main assets in the upcoming game is also questionable.
Kucherov is a critical component of Tampa’s offensive system. The Russian has nine assists in the series with the Islanders. Even without him, the Lightning have a better chance to win. Barry Trotz’s team is having a hard time scoring goals in this series, and it’s far from certain that the offence can be fixed by Game 7. So, the prediction is for Tampa to win. By scoring one goal, the Lightning will not lose concentration as they did in Game 6, and they can bring the meeting to a close win in the end.
Betting options:
- Tampa to win in regulation time for 1.99;
- Total Under 4.5 for 2.32;
- Islanders Individual Total Under 2 for 1.98.