NHL Odds: Tampa Bay Looks For Playoff Edge on Game 5

Every game in a 7-game series is important, but it can be argued that Game 5 is the one that can swing things in one direction or another, especially when the series is deadlocked at 2-2. For a while, it looked as though Game 5 might be the one where the Red Wings would clinch their opening round NHL odds match-up versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, but some late heroics have made game number 5 more important than ever.

Tampa Bay vs Detroit: Game Preview and NHL Odds Analysis

Date: Saturday, April 25th, 2015 Time: 6:00PM Venue: Amalie Arena Opening Line: Tampa Bay -160 There were many pundits who believed that the Red Wings playoff experience would take them past the Lightning in 5, but this Tampa Bay squad is a scrappy bunch who are getting some seriously good goaltending from Ben Bishop. Detroit won the opening game of the series 3-2 on home ice, but handed the advantage back to the Lightning with a 5-1 loss in game 2. Up until the final 5 minutes of Game 5, it appeared as though the Red Wings had figured out the Lightning offense. Game 3 ended in a 3-0 win for Detroit, and they were 2-0 in Game 4, but then it all fell apart. The Lightning scored 2 goals in a 77-second third period burst, and then went on to win it in OT, stealing home ice advantage away from Detroit in the process. It’s the sort of event that can change the entire direction of a series, and the Wings need to find a way to put that loss behind them as they head to Tampa Bay on Saturday. It’s tough to point at one moment in a game as being crucial to what happened later, but the Wings losing Luke Glendening to injury seemed to be the turning point. He had essentially been a one-man wrecking crew during his time on the ice, and the Lightning seemed to be lifted when Glendening couldn’t return. It can also be argued that Tampa Bay simply found a way to rediscover the scoring prowess that had helped them be the top scorers in the NHL during the regular season. Whatever the case, it certainly cannot be argued that they have all the momentum as they head home for Game 5 on Saturday.

Key Betting Trends

Tampa Bay is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games Tampa Bay is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games at home Tampa Bay is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing Detroit The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 6 games when playing Detroit Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit Detroit is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing Tampa Bay The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit’s last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay The total has gone OVER in 6 of Detroit’s last 9 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay

What Should You Bet On?

There is no guarantee that the winner of Game 5 will go on to win the series, but they will certainly swing the odds in their favor. I don’t see Tampa Bay passing up the opportunity of getting ahead in the series on home ice, which is why I like them to win.