The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens are headed to the Bell Centre for the first time in the series and the Lightning have a commanding 2-0 lead thus far. In all honesty, it has been all Lightning, as they have won the past two games and outscored the Habs 8-2. With that being said, it's time to continue the NHL odds series and make a prediction and pick for Game 3.
However, the Habs being at home might bode well for their chances in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Here's how sportsbooks have the odds for Lightning-Canadiens Game 3.
NHL Odds: Lightning-Canadiens Game 3 Odds
Montreal Canadiens +116
Tampa Bay Lightning -128
Over 5 goals (-110)
Under 5 goals (+110)
Why The Canadiens Could Cover The Spread
It has been a rough series to this point for the Canadiens. They lost Game 1 5-1 and lost Game 2 3-1 and just can't find a way to get the puck in the net– plain and simple. Returning home to the Bell Centre might help their case, but the Lightning are clearly the better squad and the favorites in the series.
Casey Price has done all he possibly can for the Canadiens, but the Lightning have had no problems scoring goals and the Canadiens have struggled to contain their attack. If there's one thing we know, it's that the Canadiens won't just roll over and die. They will fight, and fight hard– hence the reason they have reached this point in the playoffs.
Being home will be beneficial and they should ride the momentum of the crowd and find a way to– at the very least– score a couple of goals on Friday night. For what it's worth, the Canadiens lost Game 1 against Vegas in the previous series and went on to capture four of the next five games after that.
Why The Lightning Could Cover The Spread
Momentum. The Lightning won the first two games pretty easily and have had no issues scoring on offense while also limiting the Canadiens all around. To no surprise, the Lightning have higher season averages for essentially every category there is over the Canadiens.
Nikita Kucherov scored a pair of goals in the first game of the series but couldn't get the puck in the net in the second game, so expect him to come back and score a goal here on Friday night. The Canadiens have struggled in every facet against the Lightning and simply can't find a way to stop them.
The Lightning now push their record to 6-1 in their past seven Stanley Cup Finals games dating back to last season, and the chances of them going up 3-0– and that much closer to a title– are pretty high on Friday night.
Final Lightning-Canadiens Game 3 Prediction & Pick
The Lightning appear to be the easy pick. However, it remains unlikely that the Canadiens get swept in this series. The home crowd and the fact that their backs are against the wall make this game tilt ever so slightly in the favor of the Canadiens.
The Habs should come out ready and squeak out a victory on Friday night, especially considering everything they have done in the NHL Playoffs thus far. They are relentless, gritty, tough, and won't give up easily. Roll with the Canadiens, roll with the over, and enjoy a wild Friday night Stanley Cup battle.
Final Lightning-Canadiens Prediction & Pick: Montreal Canadiens ML, Over
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