Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final takes place tonight as the Tampa Bay Lightning are on the road to take on the Chicago Blackhawks in what could be a series-ending game. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on the NBC. Currently the betting odds for the game have the Blackhawks favored in a comfortable way in tonight's game to close out the series.
This has been an exciting series to date, neither team being able to build a two-goal advantage through five games. Chicago earned a 2-1 victory in the last contest, played down in Florida where the Lightning have struggled to put away opponents the entire post season despite being the best in hockey during the regular year.
The Lightning need to find a way to score. Chicago has been able to shut down Tampa Bay and not let them go all buck-wild in the scoring column to date and it's been huge for the Blackhawks.
Steven Stamkos is arguably the best player in the world, but in five games so far this series he has just one point, an assist in Game 4. The Lightning led this series 2-1 only to see Chicago come back and win each of the last two games by 2-1 margins.
Corey Crawford can take a lot of credit for that — he's stopped 55 shots in those two games combined. The Chicago defense has played well in front of him, too, but having a solid goalie in between the pipes at this point in the year is critical.
That's been part of Tampa's problem. Ben Bishop has been banged up and missed some time, but he still stopped 27 of 29 shots in a Game 5 loss. He's been playing well when he has to for the Lightning, they just can't seem to get him more than enough goals to pick up a win.
Chicago is not a place Tampa Bay wants to be tonight, but they have no choice and have to find a way to win. This series has been enjoyable and tonight should be no different. Chicago made the right adjustments the last two contests, can Tampa Bay do the same tonight?
Free Pick: Tampa Bay
Betting and Winning in the WNBA
According to pro handicapper Steve Fezzik, you don't even need to watch WNBA games to successfully bet the sport. He tells fellow handicapper Teddy Covers that the sportsbooks simply don't spend enough time setting good lines on the sport, so just following injury reports, like the one with top player Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury, will tell you what you need to know. Yes, the betting limits for WNBA are low, but the bright side to that is the wise guys leave WNBA alone, giving smaller stakes bettors more opportunities to succeed.
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