NHL Picks: Canadiens vs. Lightning Game 5 Betting Odds & Prediction

It took overtime, but the Montreal Canadiens successfully avoided being swept in the Stanley Cup Final. Perhaps the Tampa Bay Lightning were listening to Tampa mayor Jane Castor and were planning to hoist the Stanley Cup on home ice all along. We may never know. At any rate, Game 5 of this best-of-seven series sees the action shift back to Florida tonight. Will it be a coronation for the Lightning? Or do the Canadiens have some more magic left in their glass slipper? This Canadiens vs. Lightning NHL betting preview will explore the best NHL betting picks, odds, provide some key betting trends and offer the top NHL picks and predictions for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

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Canadiens vs. Lightning Betting Preview: NHL Picks & Odds

Canadiens vs. Lightning Game Info

Montreal Canadiens (24-21-11, 59 pts) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (36-17-3, 75 pts)
Date: Wednesday, July 7, 2021
Start Time: 8 p.m. EST
Venue: Amalie Arena — Tampa, Fla.
Coverage: NBC

After enduring three of his worst performances of the entire postseason, goaltender Carey Price came up huge for the Canadiens in Game 4. He stopped 32 of 34 shots faced to finish with a .941 save percentage. Price has been nearly unbeatable in overtime games during the playoffs. While the sudden-death extra period certainly took a few years off the lives of the Montreal faithful, the NHL betting underdogs will take the victory however they can. Josh Anderson was the overtime hero for the Habs. The game-winning goal was his second of the game. Alexander Romanov scored the other goal for Montreal, while Cole Caufield shone bright as well with a pair of assists. After outshooting the Lightning in both Games 2 and 3, the Canadiens were able to flip the script on Monday.

The Lightning are undoubtedly eager to get back on home ice tonight. Tampa Bay will need goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to shake off a rough Game 4 performance. He outdueled his counterpart in each of the first three games, but Vasilevskiy only stopped 18 of 21 shots in Monday’s loss. Goals by Patrick Maroon and Barclay Goodrow gave the Lightning a chance, but they failed to light the lamp in overtime. Both skaters also assisted on each other’s respective goals to finish with 2 points apiece. While Tampa Bay is still firmly in control of this series, failure to close things out tonight will only see the pressure start to build.

[osBestBetsSingleGameOdds league=”nhl” date=”07/07/2021″ team=”lightning”]

Canadiens vs. Lightning Betting NHL Picks + NHL Odds Shopping

Using Awesemo’s OddsShopper Tool, we can easily compare the NHL odds for Canadiens vs. Lightning Stanley Cup Final betting across the major sportsbooks. The odds outlined below are from 12 p.m. EST on July 7, so make sure to check out the OddsShopper tool yourself to get the most up-to-date odds.

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Canadiens vs. Lightning NHL Betting Trends

Canadiens are 6-2 straight up in their last eight games when their opponent scores two goals or fewer in their previous game.
Lightning are 4-1 straight up in their last five playoff games as an NHL betting favorite.
Lightning are 4-1 straight up in their last five Stanley Cup Final games.
Under is 3-1-4 in the Canadiens’ last eight games.
Over is 3-1-1 in the Lightning’s last five games after scoring two goals or fewer in their previous game.
Lightning are 8-0 straight up in their last eight head-to-head matchups against the Canadiens in Tampa Bay.

Canadiens vs. Lightning Prediction

Can the Canadiens turn their sweep-avoiding victory into an extended series? While Habs fans and bettors should be encouraged by the rebound performance from Carey Price on Monday, this is still a massive mountain to climb. After being outshot in Games 2 and 3, the Lightning should at least come away from Game 4 excited about flipping that stat. Assuming Andrei Vasilevskiy regains his composure in net, Tampa Bay still deserves to be a large favorite. For a Game 5 pick, consider a plus-money payout on the Lightning puckline. If Tampa is to close things out tonight, it probably will not be close. Even if they hold a one-goal lead late, the chance for an empty-net tally to officially start the championship party is very real.

Prediction: Lightning -1.5 (+120)

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