Tampa Bay Lightning vs Colorado Avalanche NHL Pick – Game 2

The NHL is set up with another strong slate of action on Saturday night. Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche will be up on the board on June 18. These two teams have been great all postseason and will look for a big win in this one. This game will drop the puck at around 8:00 PM Eastern time on ABC.

Tampa Bay has earned a record of 12-6 throughout the postseason as the third seed in the Atlantic division. The Lightning knocked off the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers and New York Rangers to reach the Finals. Tampa Bay dropped the first game of this series, which ended a four game winning streak. The Lightning will look to bounce back with a win in Game 2.

The Avalanche have put up a record of 13-2 so far in the playoffs as the top seed in the Central division. Colorado eliminated the Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers to reach this point. The Avalanche have won six games in a row and will look to keep it going. Colorado will look for another fast start at home on Saturday night.

These two teams have been solid throughout the playoffs and will look for a big win on Saturday. The Lightning were able to come back in Game 1 of this series, but could not finish off with a win. Colorado will look to continue their winning streak in this one as they look to take a 2-0 series lead. If either team can come out fast, it could be enough for the win in this one.

Game Overview

The following odds are courtesy of Bovada:

Betting Trends

Tampa Bay Lightning

• 12-8 in Saturday games
• 12-8 when playing on two days rest
• 22-11 in non-Conference games
• 5-1 when trailing in series
• 18-15 after allowing four or more goals
• 32-27 against team with a winning record

Colorado Avalanche

• 15-4 on Saturday’s
• 10-4 when playing on two days rest
• 23-10 in non-Conference games
• 8-2 when leading in series
• 37-19 after scoring four goals or more
• 27-8 after three or more straight wins
• 38-17 against team with a winning record

These two teams met up in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on June 15. Nick Paul, Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev all scored a goal as the Lightning came back from a 3-1 deficit. Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin both had a goal and an assist, while Mikko Rantanen had two assists. Colorado earned a 4-3 win in overtime to take the early series lead.

Time to settle the score. ⚡️ #TBLvsCOL: https://t.co/H25Q8HSRdQ pic.twitter.com/3m2kl3u8VR

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 18, 2022

Special Teams

The Lightning have been solid on special teams throughout the postseason. Tampa Bay has scored on 14 of their 65 power play chances, which is a 23.1 percent power play. The Lightning have killed off 49 of their opponents 60 power play attempts, which is 81.7 percent kill rate. Tampa Bay went 0-3 on the power play in Game 1 of this series.

Colorado has been great on the power play so far in the playoffs. The Avalanche have capitalized on 15 of their 48 power play opportunities, which is a 31.3 percent success rate. Colorado has given up 9 power play goals on 40 penalties against, which is a 77.5 percent penalty kill. The Avalanche scored on power play goal on 3 attempts in the first game.

The Avalanche have had the better power play throughout the postseason, but Tampa Bay has had the better penalty kill. The Lightning will look for their penalty kill to step up early in this one. Colorado will look for the power play to score again early in this one. If either team can get a goal early in this one, it could be enough for the win in Game 2.

Goaltending Comparison

Andrei Vasilevskiy will get the start in the crease for Tampa Bay in this matchup. Vasilevskiy has started in all 18 games in the playoffs, going 12-6 in those games. He has posted a .926 save percentage and a GAA of 2.36 in those outings. Vasilevskiy finished with 33 saves on 37 shots in Game 1 of this series, which was not enough for the win.

Darcy Kuemper will get the nod between the pipes for the Avalanche in Game 2 of this series. Kuemper has earned a record of 7-2 throughout his 11 starts in the series. He has put up a save percentage of .895 and a 2.68 GAA in those matchups. Kuemper stopped 20 of 23 shots in the first game of the series in the overtime win.

These two goalies have been solid throughout the postseason and will look for a big win in this one. Vasilevskiy has been a bit better on the playoffs. Kuemper has struggled with some injuries in the postseason and will look to bounce back. If either goalie can come out quickly in this one, it could be enough to lead their team to the win.

Pick Overview

These two teams have been great in the playoffs and will look for a big win in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Lightning are down in the series after losing Game 1 in overtime, but I think they can bounce back in this one. Colorado is on a big playoff winning streak, but I do not think it will last. If Tampa Bay can get the early lead, I think Vasilevskiy and their defense can close out the Avalanche to tie the series.

Bovada has Colorado listed as a -160 against the money line in this one. This implies that the Avalanche will win this game around 61.5 percent of the time. I think that this line should be closer to even with the Lightning showing resiliency all postseason long. As underdogs in this one, I like the value on Tampa Bay to tie this series back up at 1-1.