NHL Playoffs 2022: Updated Odds, Betting Advice for Stanley Cup Final

The Tampa Bay Lightning have not lost a playoff series in three years.

The two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion is back in the Final for the third straight season to take on the Colorado Avalanche.

Despite their lengthy playoff experience, the Lightning are the underdog this year, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Colorado owns home-ice advantage and has the two Most Valuable Player favorites: Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon.

They took over Colorado's three previous playoff series this year in which it lost just two games.

Beating Tampa Bay four times is a greater challenge, though. Colorado's two stars will have to be at their best in every game to counter what Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and potentially Brayden Point bring to the ice.

The Stanley Cup Final can be bet on in a number of ways, from the team to win the trophy to individual totals in goals and points for the duration of the series.

Colorado -175 (bet $175 to win $100)

Tampa Bay (+150; bet $100 to win $150)

The start-of-series prices for the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning make sense when you look at the results from this year's playoffs.

Colorado swept the Nashville Predators in the first round and the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final. It also beat the St. Louis Blues in six games in the second round.

Tampa Bay needed seven games to dispense with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round, and it was pushed to six games by the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final. The Lightning swept the Florida Panthers in the second round.

Colorado owns the better postseason record and looked far more dominant in the conference final than the two-time reigning champion.

Tampa Bay was down two games and two goals in Game 3 before winning four straight games to remain on top of the Eastern Conference.

Colorado comes into Wednesday's series opener on more rest and with arguably the two best players in hockey in Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon.

However, the Avalanche will be without Nazem Kadri in Game 1, while the Lightning could get Brayden Point for Wednesday night.

If not Wednesday, the center is likely to make an appearance in the series after not playing since the opening round due to a lower-body injury.

Tampa Bay getting Point back and having Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal could tip the scales of the series.

The netminder is the reigning Stanley Cup Final MVP and has a .928 save percentage in the postseason. Colorado's best goalie in that category is Pavel Francouz at .906.

Tampa Bay holds the edge in net and could steal a game in Denver to set itself up for two wins on home ice in Games 3 and 4.

The Lightning sit at a solid price on the series line, and if you believe Vasilevskiy and Point will be the difference-makers, they are worth the bet at +150 right now.

You could wait until after Game 1 to get a better price if Colorado benefits from the rest and home ice, but that is a risk worth taking and it is possible the Lightning take the opener.

Cale Makar (+180)

Nathan MacKinnon (+210)

Nikita Kucherov (+400)

Andrei Vasilevskiy (+400)

Mikko Rantanen (+1500)

Steven Stamkos (+1500)

Victor Hedman (+2000)

Gabriel Landeskog (+2000)

Darcy Kuemper (+4000)

Pavel Francouz (+4000)

Ondrej Palat (+7500)

Valeri Nichushkin (+10000)

Most of the Conn Smythe Trophy talk will be around Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon.

MacKinnon has the most playoff goals of any player left in the postseason with 11. He needs three against Tampa Bay to take the lead from Evander Kane.

The 26-year-old produced three goals and two assists in the Western Conference Final win over the Edmonton Oilers. He is also tied with Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov for second on the most power-play goals this season with five.

Makar earned Colorado's highest point total against the Oilers with nine. He scored twice and dished out seven assists. He was involved in nine of the 22 goals scored by the Avalanche in the series.

If the 23-year-old contributes at that rate in a winning effort, he will cash in on his status as Conn Smythe Trophy favorite.

MacKinnon can make a good shout for the award as well if he lights the lamp early and often.

However, scoring may be difficult for Colorado against Vasilevskiy, who won the award in 2021 for his performances over five games against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Russian is likely the best MVP option for the Lightning since he will play a large role in keeping Colorado's top offensive stars out of the scoring column.

Victor Hedman, the 2020 Stanley Cup Final MVP, might be in contention as well if the Tampa Bay defense shuts down Makar, MacKinnon and Co.

Ondrej Palat is the best long-shot option of the MVP candidates. He is coming off an eight-point series against the New York Rangers with four goals and four assists.

The 31-year-old Czech opened the 2021 Stanley Cup Final with four points in three games. He had five points against the Dallas Stars in 2020.

Tampa Bay's roster is loaded with veterans who could step up across a few games, but Palat is the best long-shot option right now because he comes into the series on a high after playing well against the Rangers.

A handful of player prop offerings cover the entire series.

These bets could be more useful than a shot at the MVP because they are not judged by wins and losses. The best player on the winning team usually comes away with the Conn Smythe Trophy.

MacKinnon is the favorite to score the most goals at +450, while Steven Stamkos is second in that prop at +600.

MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov are tied at +400 to have the most points in the series. Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen both sit at +550.

Andrei Vasilevskiy's Game 1 save total over/under is set at 31.5, while Darcy Kuemper's save total sits at 28.5.

Vasilevskiy is expected to be tested often by the Colorado attack. The over on his save total for Game 1 seems like a strong prop to cash in since the Avalanche will be well-rested and juiced up by the home crowd.

As for the series-long props, MacKinnon and Kucherov should be considered for both the most goals and most points categories.

MacKinnon has 11 postseason goals, while Kucherov owns 23 playoff points. Both totals are the most of any player participating in the Stanley Cup Final.

A year ago, Kucherov led the Lightning with five points and three goals, but the team's defensive efforts were rewarded when Vasilevskiy won the Conn Smythe.

Kucherov tied with Brayden Point for eight points to lead the Lightning in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, and Victor Hedman had seven points.

Kucherov's success atop the Stanley Cup Final stat charts could lead you to betting on him for most goals at +600 and most points at +400. His personal over/under in points for the series is 6.5.

Colorado's Mikko Rantanen is also worth watching in those categories. He thrived in the series win over St. Louis with six points. He had six points against Edmonton and five versus Nashville.

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