NHL Top Bets For June 20th - Stanley Cup Final Game 3

Chris Wassel
By , Updated on: Sep 4, 2022 08:00 PM
NHL Top Bets For June 20th - Stanley Cup Final Game 3

Come check out our NHL Top Playoff Bets for the Stanley Cup Final as Game 3 approaches Monday night!

With the Stanley Cup betting odds starting up, here are some numbers for this opener between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche. Let's examine the latest numbers for Game 3.

NHL Top Playoff Bets 6/20/22BetOnlineBetUS
Stanley Cup Final
Tampa Bay Lightning-104-110
Colorado Avalanche-106-110

Someone Jolt The Tampa Bay Lightning

Now, this is incredible, but yes, someone jolts the Tampa Bay Lightning! Consider what occurred during Game 1 where Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed three goals in the opening 20 minutes. They fought back to tie the game only to lose early in overtime. That offered hope for Game 2 as Tampa Bay looked like they had played the rest of Game 1 on mostly even terms. The problem was no one mentioned that fact to the Colorado Avalanche.

Our idea is to attack the NHL Top Playoff Bets of June 20th, 2022, early and often! Now, the speed and particularly the acceleration were on display for Colorado in Game 1. However, the expectation was that Jon Cooper and Tampa Bay would make adjustments in Game 2. Something got lost in translation because Game 2 started out as a carbon copy of Game 1 but worse for the Lightning.

Tampa Bay expects to be the team that comes out flying, and if there is a time for Tampa Bay to attack, it will be early in Game 3. No one looked good from the Lightning in Game 2. From the coaching staff to the players, the Colorado Avalanche executed a thrashing that most teams would go into a shell from. The Tampa Bay Lightning are not just any team. They have won 11 straight series and two Stanley Cups in the past three seasons.

Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final features two best NHL teams this season. They were expected to get to this point, and both delivered. Online Sports Betting covers it all and looks at the best online NHL betting sites.

So, Colorado And Tampa Bay Are Even In Game 3?

It is intriguing that the numbers for the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning came out the way they did. Why are Colorado and Tampa Bay are even in Game 3? That's a great question! For one, Colorado has dominated metrics-wise early in this series. They swept the first two games - winning Game 1 in overtime and Game 2 in a resounding 7-0 rout that rendered Tampa Bay lifeless.

Debates that Colorado would be favored more if it was anyone but Tampa are warranted. The opening numbers even against Tampa Bay seem outrageous because, again, these are the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions. Tampa Bay heads home beaten, but the Lightning looked this lethargic against the New York Rangers in the last round. Even the Toronto Maple Leafs made Tampa Bay look silly but not quite like how Colorado did.

Amalie Arena Is An Intimidating Place To Play

Now, if any team can brush off what occurred on Saturday night, that would be the Tampa Bay Lightning. Make no mistake that Colorado stamped their authority on this Stanley Cup Final. However, Tampa Bay will not go down quietly. With Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, and Andre Vasilevskiy on the roster, that will not happen. Also, Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay is quite an intimidating place to play.

Most tend to forget that Tampa Bay averaged around four goals a game at home this season. Tampa Bay expects to take advantage of the last line change and employ some different looks. But Colorado's ability to transition and pass quickly is why our NHL Top Playoff Bets for game number three carry risk. Now, what boosts us here is that teams that have been blown out in the Stanley Cup Final have come back to win nine of ten times the game after. That never hurts.

Tampa Bay Lightning To beat the Colorado Avalanche
-104
Bovada

Can Tampa Bay Do It One More Time?

Can Tampa Bay do it one more time for Game 3? Now, this depends on Andrei Vasilevskiy again playing like the goaltender we saw at the end of the Eastern Conference Final. In the final four games against New York, the goaltender was amazing, making save after save. He arguably carried the Tampa Bay Lightning to victory in the clinching Game 6. The problem is no one has seen that balanced Tampa Bay team since.

For enduring emphasis, Colorado is not New York. The Colorado Avalanche won seven straight games on the road in these playoffs for a reason. They can score err rally quickly. Five of the last six games have seen Colorado strike three goals in a period at some juncture. That quick-strike ability scares any team - even the Tampa Bay Lightning. At home, Tampa Bay must contain these gaps better. Adrenaline figures to help the Lightning on Monday night.

Colorado and Tampa Bay Other NHL Top Playoff Bets

Colorado and Tampa Bay help us with other NHL Top Playoff Bets. So, how about the over/under or maybe a prop or two?

Let's ride with the over at six goals Monday night as one bet. Expect the goals to still come in Tampa Bay as the Lightning will play with more urgency. The Colorado team with over 2.5 goals can be considered, too, along with Tampa Bay at over 2.5 if one feels comfortable. Consider the Under props on the goaltenders as a possibility too. Anyway, the game over remains quite the solid wager, especially if it stays at plus-money.

Colorado's ability to score in bunches, along with Tampa Bay's home-ice advantage, plays right into our pick below.

Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche To score more than six goals
+104
Bovada

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Meet the author

Chris Wassel

Chris Wassel is a veteran sports writer with over 20 years of experience publishing thoughtful analysis and insightful perspectives on everything from hockey to basketball, football, and more. As a seasoned journalist, Chris has established himself as a leading voice o...

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