Both of the Stanley Cup semifinal series are headed to a Game 6 as we reach the middle of the week. The New York Islanders are on the brink of elimination after taking an 8-0 humiliation in Tampa Bay on Monday night. This was the largest margin of victory in any game at the semifinal level of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the storied history of the trophy. In the other series, Montreal gets a chance to eliminate the Vegas Golden Knights on their home ice, after they delivered a shocking 4-1 win in Game 5 out in the desert.
Let’s take a closer look at each Game 6 as you consider your NHL betting choices.
NHL News: Semifinal Games (June 23-24)
Wednesday, June 23
Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Islanders
Game 6 (8:00 pm ET, NBC Sports) | Lightning lead, 3-2
Andrei Vasilevskiy posted the fourth playoff shutout of his career, and Steven Stamkos paced the offense with two goals and an assist, as the Lightning bounced back from a tough loss in Game 4 to rout the Islanders on Monday night. Since the start of the 2020 postseason, the Lightning are now 13-0 in games coming after a playoff loss. In the first period, the Lightning scored three times, with Stamkos getting the first just 45 seconds into the contest. This was the first time the Islanders had permitted three goals in the first period all season long. The Lightning did it again in the second period, scoring three more times. Alex Killorn had a pair of goals, and Brayden Point added his 13th tally of the playoffs. He now has a goal in eight consecutive games, the second longest such streak in the history of the NHL.
The Islanders yanked goalie Semyon Varlamov after permitting three goals on 16 shots, the opposite of his outstanding performance in the third period of Game 4, when he withstood wave after wave of offense from the Lightning as the Islanders held on for a 3-2 win. Ryan Pulock dove across the net, which Varlamov had vacated to make a save on a previous shot, to stop the puck from going in during the waning seconds of regulation. Now, though, Tampa Bay has outscored New York 10-0 in the last four periods of the series. Can the Islanders turn things around at home and force a Game 7?
Final Prediction:
New York 3, Tampa Bay 2
Thursday, June 24
Vegas Golden Knights at Montreal Canadiens
Game 6 (8:00 pm ET, USA) | Canadiens lead, 3-2
No NHL teams have more appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals than do the Montreal Canadiens, as they have been there 34 times. However, they have not been there since 1993 — and they are now just one win away. It was all about goaltender Carey Price, who stopped 26 shots in a 4-1 win for the Habs in Game 5. Eric Staal, Cole Caufield, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki all lit the lamp for Montreal. This makes two wins in the series for Montreal in Las Vegas after dropping Game 4 at home.
Max Pacioretty scored the lone Vegas goal, as Montreal clogged up the neutral zone to smother the Vegas offense. The Golden Knights launched 56 shot attempts, many from distance. Seventeen were blocked, and a dozen more were not on goal, which means that Price only had to see 27. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 22 shots for Vegas, but the Golden Knights’ offense has gone stagnant, as the forwards only have four goals combined in the first five games. Vegas must find a way forward on offense even to make it to a Game 7.
Final Prediction:
Montreal 3, Vegas 2
NHL Betting Odds
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