Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup Final Game 3 Odds, Preview and Prediction

The Tampa Bay Lightning (No. 3 seed in Central Division) seem to have it all figured out after taking a 2-0 lead in their 2021 Stanley Cup Final series matchup against the Montreal Canadiens (No. 4 seed in North Division). Now the series will switch from Tampa to Quebec for the next two contests starting with Game 3 on Friday.

Tampa Bay Lightning Preview

 
The Lightning (14-6) were clicking on all cylinders in the first two games of this series, taking full advantage of their home ice as they went up 2-0 in this championship series against the Canadiens following a 3-1 victory in Game 2 at Amalie Arena on Wednesday. In Game 1, they thrashed Montreal 5-1 to take the 1-0 lead. Tampa has been electric (sorry) at home, and have won their last five straight home games, while dominating and outscoring their opponents 21-4 in that span. 

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped a remarkable 42 shots on Wednesday and has started every game for the Lightning in the postseason. He’s been nothing short of great, registering a 1.89 GAA and a .939 SV%, some of the best numbers for a goalie this season. This is nothing new for Vasilevskiy, who is now 47-28 with a 2.25 GAA and .924 SV% in his postseason career. You can always count on him to start a series strong, as he’s already 2-0 with an incredible 1.00 GAA and .968 SV%.

The Lightning aren’t just good at goaltender, as they have the 2nd most lethal offense in the NHL this postseason. They are 3rd on the power play and 4th on the penalty kill, showing how great they are on special teams. They are the defending Cup Champions for a reason, one of the best all-around teams in hockey and looking for back-to-back championships.

Montreal Canadiens Preview:

Well, it’s been a rough start to say the least for the Habs (12-7), and for me. I told you to bet on them in the first two games because of the extreme value of +180 in an NHL game, but this is what happens when you go against the Cup Champions at home. After dropping both games on the road by scores of 5-1 and 3-1, Montreal needs to win both games at home if they want to come back in this series. Despite outshooting the Bolts 43-23 in Game 2 on Wednesday, the Canadiens simply could not find a way to solve Vasilevskiy. They killed all three of their penalties and scored their lone goal on the man-advantage. Nick Suzuki scored that goal and became the third player in Canadiens history to net 10 Stanley Cup Playoff tallies before the age of 22, joining Claude Lemieux and Stephane Richer.

Goalie Carey Price did everything he could on Wednesday, stopping 20 shots in a losing effort. He’s been great this postseason as well, going 12-7 with a 2.22 GAA and .926 SV%. This has not been his series though, as he has not been up to par with his usual self against the Lightning with a 4.06 GAA and a .840 SV%. He’ll need to get things figured out quickly at home.

Montreal hasn’t been great offensively, netting only a goal per game so far and failing to get the puck behind Vasilevskiy. They still are one of the best teams in history on the penalty kill, stopping 92.3% of chances, and playing excellent defense throughout these playoffs.

Full Game Prediction

The Canadiens need to win this game. Going down 3-0 is a death sentence, so you can expect the best play you’ve seen out of Montreal at home on Friday night. They are 5-1 in their last six home contests, and stepped up their game considerably in Game 2 to outshoot the Lightning by a large margin. They will be all-in for this game, and I know you will probably fade me after picking them in Games 1 and 2, and now I’ll take them in 3.

Pick: Canadiens +120