The Stanley Cup Final is here, and hockey fans are getting ready for the big event. West Virginia sportsbooks are littered with more than enough ways for those in the Mountain State to bet on the series.
While the Tampa Bay Lightning find themselves back in a familiar place, the Montreal Canadiens are riding an incredible playoff push.
They finished the regular season in fourth place in the North Division with just 59 points total. However, since falling behind in a 3-1 series deficit to Toronto in the opening round, the Canadiens are 11-2.
Montreal stormed back to beat the Leafs, swept Winnipeg, then took down the massive favorite in Las Vegas in the semifinal.
While it was an underdog a month ago, can it still be considered that now?
Tampa Bay is back for its second straight championship, but things haven’t been as easy this time around. The Lightning needed six games to beat Florida, five to defeat Carolina, then seven games to advance to the final over New York.
Center Yanni Gourde scored the contest’s only goal as the Lightning escaped the Islanders in Friday’s Game 7.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup between the Canadiens and Lightning, along with how WV online sportsbooks set the odds for the 2021 finals.
2021 Stanley Cup betting odds at WV sportsbooks
Lightning-Canadiens betting preview
With the Lightning returning the majority of their team from a year ago, it’s no surprise that they were among the favorites to win the title again.
As they head into the Stanley Cup Final, DraftKings Sportsbook WV shows Tampa as a sizable favorite. The online sportsbook has the Lightning at -286 to win the series, while Montreal is available at +240.
There are probably not many who doubt that the Canadiens are underdogs, but they feature some very favorable odds considering their recent play.
Goalie Carey Price is a large part of their spectacular last few weeks. He’s started every game for the Canadiens and has often put the team on his back.
Price owns a 12-5 record this postseason, with just a 2.02 goals against average. He’s stopping over 93% of opponents’ shots.
Even the Golden Knights’ potent offense couldn’t get much generated against Price. In each game following the series opener, Price surrendered just two goals or fewer.
Montreal will need him to be sharp once again in the Stanley Cup to slow down Tampa Bay.
The Lightning were held in check against the Isles for the most part, though their scary attack did display their power several times. They scored eight goals in Game 5, which was the fifth time they’ve put in at least five goals in these playoffs.
That being said, Tampa’s goaltending is more than formidable, too.
Andrei Vasilevskiy pitched two shutouts against New York in the pivotal fifth and seventh games. His statistics are vastly similar to Price’s, with a 12-6 record, 1.99 GAA and save percentage also above 93%.
As for scoring leaders, both teams will rely on their top lines to get on the scoreboard.
Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov leads the way with 27 postseason points, while Brayden Point isn’t far behind with 20.
Montreal turns to right winger Tyler Toffoli and center Nick Suzuki for its offense. Toffoli’s got 14 points thus far in the playoffs, with Suzuki right behind at 13.
Stanley Cup Final odds and props
WV sportsbooks list Tampa as the favorite entering the first game on its home ice. The action gets underway on Monday night at 8 p.m. EST on NBCSN.
According to FanDuel WV, the Lightning are -198 to win the first matchup, whereas Montreal is posted at +166. Currently, the game’s total is set at 5.5 goals on the online sportsbook.
Besides betting on individual tilts, bettors in the state can find lots of different props as well.
On FanDuel, you can wager on the total number of games played in the entire series. It features the following odds:
- Four games +500
- Five games +240
- Six games +220
- Seven games +230
It also allows you to bet on a double market that includes the outcome of Game 1 and the winner of the series. The operator lists the following:
- Lightning Game 1 / Lightning series -130
- Canadiens Game 1 / Lightning series +380
- Canadiens Game 1 / Canadiens series +450
- Lighting Game 1 / Canadiens series +700
Of course, there are markets for player props also available. Bettors can put some money down on which player they think is going to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the MVP of the Stanley Cup.
FanDuel offers the following players as the favorites to earn the trophy:
- Andrei Vasilevskiy +200
- Carey Price +220
- Brayden Point +380
- Nikita Kucherov +400
- Steven Stamkos +1500
- Victor Hedman +2600
- Mikhail Sergachev +4800
- Ryan McDonagh +4800
Those who believe Montreal has a real shot in this series should consider taking one of its skaters for this market. While Price is more likely to win it at +220, several quality contributors, like Ben Chiarot and Brendan Gallagher, have favorable odds at +6000.
