Carolina vs Tampa Bay: Lightning to clinch next round of Stanley Cup

After four games, Tampa Bay beat Carolina, 3-1. Will Rod Brind’amour’s men be able to extend their season with a win in the upcoming battle? We predict that the Lightning will once again be closer to success and advance to the next round of the Stanley Cup!

Carolina continue to have a very high-quality season. It all started in the regular season, where they managed to win the Central Division, and continues in the playoffs, even though the Hurricanes are one step away from relegation. Yes, they have already fallen to the reigning Stanley Cup holders, who are extremely good, in the second round. Nevertheless, Rod Brind’amour’s charges in two starting games lost only by one goal difference,1-2, then they won in overtime, 3-2, and in the last game they were even leading in the score, 4-2, but managed to lose, 4-6. Now Carolina are one defeat away from finishing the season, but they are still making progress, and that’s all that matters.

Tampa Bay had a very modest regular season by their standards, but in the playoffs, they once again showed incredible hockey. Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov are back in the lineup, and they immediately began to show phenomenal productivity, which allowed the Lightning to pass Florida in the first round without much trouble, and now they only have one win left to pass Carolina as well. Most importantly, John Cooper’s team now has the character of a winner, as evidenced once again by the last game, when the Tampa Bay players did not quit when the score was 2-4, but turned the tide and won the game 6-4.

The fourth game between Carolina and Tampa Bay seems to have killed the intrigue of the Central Division final. Rod Brind’amour’s men will undoubtedly continue to fight in the upcoming battle, especially in the home stands, but the Lightning are now so psyched that they won’t give it up, while the Hurricanes, on the other hand, are broken. We all saw how serious the difference in class between the teams is, so we suggest betting on Tampa Bay to win the match for 1.83.

In the fourth game of the series, the opponents finally broke through and they scored ten goals apiece, with eight of them coming in the second period. In the upcoming battle, we again expect a high scoring activity, as Carolina have nothing to lose, they are tightly pressed against the wall, so the home stands will try to make a bright game because they need to get on the attack and save the series. Tampa Bay have a comfortable situation for counterattacks, which they can do very well. With that in mind, Total Over 5.5 pucks at odds close to 2.19 would seem to be a good bet.

Steven Stamkos missed a lot of games due to injury during the regular season, but he has shown great hockey in the playoffs. He’s already 13 points (5 goals + 8 assists) in ten games played, making him one of the top five scorers in the current Stanley Cup race. That said, his sniper troubles were not the best, as he only allowed three goals (0.33 average per game) in his nine starts, but the day before he did a double-double. This local success should give the Lightning captain a lot of confidence, so a bet on Steven Stamkos’ goal is worth looking into at odds of around 2.80.