Daily NHL Odds and Betting Trends – 07/07/21

by OddsShark (@OddsShark) – Sponsored Post

Here’s a look at the NHL odds and betting trends for the games on today’s schedule.

All NHL betting lines below are as listed at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Canadiens vs Lightning | OddsShark Matchup Report

Opening NHL Odds: Lightning -181 Favorites

Tampa Bay will try to accomplish something the team was unable to do a year ago due to COVID-19 protocols on Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final versus Montreal – hoist the Stanley Cup at home.

While the Lightning failed to complete a sweep of the Canadiens on Monday in a 3-2 overtime loss as -145 road favorites in Game 4, the defending Stanley Cup champions have been unbeatable off a loss in the playoffs over the last two years, winning 14 games in a row since they were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019. Montreal will look to end that streak here though on the road and force a Game 6 back at the Bell Centre, where the team got two goals from winger Josh Anderson and 32 saves from goalie Carey Price to avoid elimination. 

The Canadiens have somehow found a way to win at least two games away from home in each of the previous three rounds of the postseason while their opponent has lost at least one at Amalie Arena in every playoff series this year. For those trends to continue, Montreal must play aggressively and bully Tampa Bay, even if it is on the road. The Lightning have shown a tendency to be pushed around at times like they were in Game 4, and the Canadiens can pull off another upset in this spot if Price can outplay counterpart Andrei Vasilevskiy too. 

Vasilevskiy has blanked the opposition in his team’s last four clinchers dating back to last year, and another one in Game 5 could earn him the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason’s top player. Tampa Bay has still won 12 of the past 14 meetings against Montreal going back to 2018, with the UNDER on an 8-4-1 run in the last 13 games between the teams.

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