Colorado Avalanche v Tampa Bay Lightning predictions & NHL Stanley Cup tips

Free NHL tips, best bets and preview for Colorado Avalanche v Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup finals, starting Thursday night.

Best bet

Tampa Bay Lightning to win series from behind
1pt 7-2 bet365

Already advised

Colorado Avalanche to win Stanley Cup
2pts each-way 11-2 October 12

Stanley Cup final preview

The world's fastest and most bruising league reaches its climax over the next two weeks as the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning battle for the NHL's Stanley Cup.

Tampa are aiming for a historic third successive championship. The feat has not been achieved since the New York Islanders' four wins from 1980 to 83, and the task was made even stiffer when the league introduced a strict salary cap in 2005, stopping rich teams loading up on superstars.

This is a very different Lightning team from the one who lifted the imposing trophy in each of the last two years, but their battling spirit and defensive strength have seen them through to the final once again.

It has been a completely different path for Colorado. The Avalanche have swept all before them, losing just two games and never trailing in any of their three best-of-seven series to reach this point.

Offensive depth is Colorado's strength and the ease with which they have progressed through the post-season sees them go off strong favourites for a first Stanley Cup triumph since 2001.

Anyone who took Chris Rivers' pre-season advice to back the Avs is in a great position.

However, the Lightning represent a far tougher test than the largely beat-up and downright bad defences Colorado have faced to reach this stage.

Tampa are also far more battle-hardened, having faced elimination against a strong Toronto side in the first round and gone 2-0 down in their Eastern Conference series against New York Rangers.

That could be key if, as expected, this turns out to be a long series.

While the Avs have the edge in terms of offence, Tampa are streets ahead defensively and their goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is in a different league from Colorado's Darcy Kuemper, who has missed his team's last three games.

Tampa have had a tendency to be slow out of the traps in their series and with the finals beginning in Denver, the best value may lie in backing the Lightning to come from behind to steal the series.

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