Despite the challenge that the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed on the world of sports, major sports leagues were able to bounce back and pull through with continuing their respective seasons. Major league hockey is no exception. After a pause of four months due to coronavirus, hockey was able to get back in full swing and the NHL Stanley Cup Final is now underway.
This year’s Stanley Cup Final sees the Dallas Stars going against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both teams are looking to win the second Stanley Cup in their franchise’s history. The last time that Dallas took home the Stanley Cup was way back in 1999 while Tampa last took home the chip in 2004.
The Dallas Stars’ road to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 20 years has been somewhat of a Cinderella run for them. The Stars needed six games to get past the Calgary Flames in the first round of the tournament and then entered the second round as the underdogs against the Colorado Avalanche. Dallas edged it out in a seven-game nail-biter against the Avalanche before advancing to the conference finals.
The Western Conference finals series saw the third-seeded Dallas Stars go up against the top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights. In a stunning series that only took five games, the Stars got the best of Vegas through their stingy defense, led by goaltender Anton Khubodin. Dallas held Vegas a total of just nine goals in their five-game duel.
On the other hand, the Eastern Conference champs had a relatively less tumultuous road to the Stanley Cup Final. The second-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning faced off against the seventh-seed Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the playoffs, making easy work of them in five games. The same fate befell the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Semifinal.
In the battle for the Prince of Wales Trophy, the New York Islanders could not keep up with the star power of the Tampa Bay Lightning and lost the series in six games. Despite Brayden Point being out for two games and being obviously banged up for one other game, Tampa dominated the Islanders, with Anthony Cirelli stepping up to the plate and playing well in Point’s absence.
This season’s Stanley Cup Final is indeed historic, being the first Stanley Cup final to be held in a “bubble,” due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. There will be no fans in the stands to cheer for their respective teams and the home-court advantage is essentially nonexistent, with the Stanley Cup final being held in the bubble at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
It’s the first time in 70 years that the Stanley Cup Final games were played at a site that a place that wasn’t favorable to either team. The last time this happened was in 1950 when due to a scheduling conflict at Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers played games 2 and 3 of the Stanley Cup Final with the Detroit Red Wings at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. This Stanley Cup is also the first in 101 years to be disrupted by a pandemic. In 1919, the series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans was brought to a pause after five games due to the Spanish flu.
Indeed, these are unprecedented times. Nevertheless, expect the Dallas Stars and the Tampa Bay Lightning to battle it out in what would perhaps be the most difficult Stanley Cup win in history, with teams playing without fans and with players being practically isolated from the world in the Edmonton bubble.
Besides, the fact that the games will be played in the bubble doesn’t prevent fans from showing their all-out support for their teams. We have the Internet for that now. The same applies to avid sports bettors who are looking to cash in in the Stanley Cup Final.
Bovada currently has the Tampa Bay Lightning as heavy -190 favorites to win the championship, while the Stars are +160 underdogs.
Both teams possess the firepower to make the Final a high-scoring series, with Tampa Bay leading in that department for three straight regular seasons, and Dallas shifting into high gear during the postseason. They were also two of the best defensive teams in the NHL during the regular season. Dallas surrendered the fewest even-strength goals (126), while Tampa Bay allowed the fourth-fewest (143).
Regardless of the 2-0 record of Dallas against Tampa Bay in the regular season, history doesn’t matter in the Stanley Cup Final, and it’s up to you to decide which team you want to put your money behind.
For the best bets in the world of sports, visit www.lines.com.
