Here are The Game Day’s Hurricanes vs Lightning prediction and bets for the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, including our Carolina-Tampa Bay Round 2 series preview.
Check out our 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs Power Rankings and 2021 Stanley Cup Winner Odds and Best Bets.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction: 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Bet Picks Preview
Hurricanes vs. Lightning Schedule
Game 1: Sunday, May 30, 5:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN, SN)
Game 2: Tuesday, June 1, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN, SN)
Game 3: Thursday, June 3, 7:30 p.m. ET (USA, SN)
Game 4: Saturday, June 5, 4:00 p.m. ET (USA, SN)
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Carolina Hurricanes Round 1 Recap
The Carolina Hurricanes had a great regular season, posting 80 points in the Central Division, in one of the strongest divisions. They wound up with a +43 goal differential, the best in the ultra-competitive Central Division. Carolina eliminated the pesky Nashville Predators in six games.
Carolina was led by the clutch performance of Sebastian Aho. Aho scored twice in the final game, including the series-clincher, against Nashville. He had five goals and seven points in six games. The Hurricanes also saw Jordan Staal score four times, Brock McGinn chipped in with three goals, and Martin Necas had two goals and three assists.
The Hurricanes were led by the mostly steady play of Alex Nedeljkovic. Nedeljkovic was steady when needed as Carolina advanced past Nashville in six games. He posted a solid 2.22 goals allowed average and .922 save percentage. He had three quality starts but will now face an even more stern test in Round 2.
Tampa Bay Lightning Round 1 Recap
The Tampa Bay Lightning had a good year of their own with 75 points. They finished the season with a +34 goal differential, which was good enough for the third seed in the Central Division. The Lightning defeated their rival Florida Panthers in six intense contests.
Tampa Bay had plenty of offensive production in Round 1 from many places, including winger Nikita Kucherov (three goals, eight assists) and left-wing Alex Killorn (four goals, four assists). Center Steven Stamkos also tallied eight points behind three goals and five assists. Even center Brayden Point had four goals and six points in Round 1. Defenseman Victor Hedman had a tough series defensively but had six assists against the Florida Panthers and did improve as the series went on.
The Lightning were anchored by Andrei Vasilevskiy and he battled heartily with a .929 save percentage and allowed just 16 goals on 226 shots (four quality starts).
Carolina Hurricanes vs Tampa Bay Lightning Matchup
The Hurricanes carry a balanced offensive and defensive attack that can keep them competitive with a dangerous Tampa Bay offense. However, in order to be the team, one has to beat the team. Tampa Bay is the defending Stanley Cup champion. Expect the Lightning and Vasilevskiy to be the difference in this series along with Stamkos and Kucherov on the man advantage.
I see this series going at least six games, but a series the Lightning eventually win because they were the league’s best team before late-season injuries derailed their seeding.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction & Bet Pick
Hurricanes vs Lightning Series Prediction
Tampa Bay Lightning in 6 games
Hurricanes vs Lightning Bet Pick
Tampa Bay Lightning to win series (-130) at BetMGM
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