NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 Betting Preview: Will the Avs End the Series?

by Ben Perks June 23rd 2022, 9:01 PST

Vegas oddsmakers favor the Avalanche to beat the Lightning and win the NHL Stanley Cup in front of their home crowd on June 25. As the Avs lead the series 3-1, it’s the last-chance saloon for the Bolts.

Will Colorado lift Lord Stanley’s Mug on Friday, or will the Bolts take it to Game 6?

Get insights and up-to-date betting lines for Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

Tampa Bay Lightning @ Colorado Avalanche Game 5 Betting Lines

NHL Stanley Cup Game 5 Betting Predictions

Tampa Bay becoming the first team since 1983 to win the Stanley Cup three years in a row now looks highly unlikely. Yet don’t expect the Lightning to go down without a fight.

In Game 4, the Bolts took an early lead when Anthony Cirelli struck just 36 seconds from Erik Cernak. In the second period, Nathan MacKinnon scored a power-play goal to level proceedings, but Victor Hedman got the lead back midway through the second period to get back in front.

…don’t expect the Lightning to go down without a fight.

Despite this show of tenacity, the Lightning couldn’t keep it up and started to lose grip of the tie. Andrew Cogliano tipped one home early in the third, and Nazem Kadri smashed in an overtime winner at 12:02.

Kadri, who had sat out the first three games of the finals due to a broken finger, cut around the Lightning defense and roofed the puck to put the defending back-to-back champions on the brink of elimination.

The Lightning are now 11-5 in the past 16 games overall. So if they fail to make it 14-5 in the past 19, they will wave goodbye to their third consecutive Stanley Cup. As the Bolts have won just once in the past five games, their confidence is low.

They will take some encouragement from their last meeting with the Avs, but winning two games in a row against Colorado is an almighty task.

Nevertheless, the Lightning won’t go down without a fight – so don’t expect another blowout loss like the 7-0 defeat in Game 2. Therefore, the Lightning on the puck line and choosing the UNDER are decent betting options.

Still, the chances of them having enough in the tank to lengthen the series are slim.

Lightning vs. Avalanche Betting Trends

• Lightning are 11-5 in the past 16 games overall.
• Lightning are 1-4 in the past five road games.
• Lightning are 13-5 in the past 18 playoff as underdogs.
• Lightning are 4-1 in the past five as on the road underdogs.
• Avalanche are 59-13 in the past 72 home games.
• Avalanche are 36-15 in the past 51 as a favorite.
• Avalanche are 5-1 in the past six Stanley Cup Final games.

Lightning vs. Avalanche Injury Report

Tampa Bay Lightning

• Forward Brayden Point (lower-body injury) – questionable
• Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (lower-body injury) – questionable
• Defenseman Brent Seabrook (shoulder) – out

Colorado Avalanche

• Forward Andre Burakovsky ( thumb injury) – questionable
• Defenseman Samuel Girard (broken sternum) – out
• Defenseman Ryan Murray (broken hand) – out

Tampa Bay vs. Colorado – Recent Head-to-Head Record

Results of last six games

Date	Home-Away	Moneyline	Puck Line	Over/Under
10/23/2021	Tampa Bay 3 Colorado 4 (SO)	COL	COL	Over
2/10/2022	Colorado 3 Tampa Bay 2	COL	TB	Under
6/16/2022	Colorado 4 Tampa Bay 3 (OT)	COL	TB	Over
6/18/2022	Colorado 7 Tampa Bay 0	COL	COL	Over
6/20/2022	Tampa Bay 6 Colorado 2	TB	TB	Over
6/18/2022	Tampa Bay 2 Colorado 3	COL	TB	Over

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