Stanley Cup Final Game 1: Betfred $500 Risk-Free Bet With VIBONUS

Dan Zaksheske Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

The Stanley Cup Final gets underway tonight as the two-time defending Champion Tampa Bay Lightning head to Denver to take on the Western Conference Champion Colorado Avalanche in Game 1. The Lightning defeated the Rangers in six games to win the East, while Colorado swept the Edmonton Oilers in the West. The Avalanche haven’t played since June 6, while Tampa finished off the Rangers on Saturday night.

Despite the championship pedigree possessed by the Lightning, oddsmakers like the Avalanche to hoist the Cup. The Avs are currently -190 to win the series, while Tampa sits at +160. If you really like the Avalanche, you can also bet them -1.5 games – meaning they’d have to win the series in less than seven games – at +115. Those odds are courtesy of Betfred; if you want to get in on the action, head over to Betfred right now use our promo code “VIBONUS” for a $500 risk-free bet!

In addition to series prices, Betfred offers a host of ways to bet, including exact results. Avalanche in five is currently +390 and Avs in seven is at +410 – those are the most likely scenarios according to the oddsmakers. An Avalanche sweep is +820, while Lightning in four would pay out the largest amount, currently +1600.

You can also bet on the Conn Smythe Trophy, the NHL’s MVP of the playoffs. Keep in mind that the award is for the totality of the playoffs and not just the Stanley Cup Final. A pair of Avalanche stars lead the current markets with defenseman Cale Makar at +185 and forward Nathan MacKinnon at +220.  Two Lightning stars are tied for third-most likely at +450, and those players would be goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and forward Nikita Kucherov.

For Game 1, Colorado is favored at home, as expected, at -160 on the moneyline. If you like Tampa’s chances on the road, you can grab them at +135 or +1.5 goals at a -215 price. The total for Game 1 is set at 6.0 goals with the over (-115) slightly favored over the under (-105). Remember that you can head over to Betfred right now use our promo code “VIBONUS” for a $500 risk-free bet!

Colorado, the top-seeded team in the Western Conference, has been dominant in these playoffs so far, sweeping two of the three series they’ve played thus far. They are 12-2 in the postseason, with both losses coming in their second-round matchup with St. Louis. It’s important to note that both of those losses came at home; the Avs are 7-0 away from Denver in the playoffs and 5-2 at Ball Arena. But they are 3-0 in Game 1, all at home.

On the other side, Tampa was pushed to the brink in the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs, falling into a 3-2 series deficit before rallying to win in seven games. They followed that with a sweep of the President’s Trophy winners, the Florida Panthers, before the six-game victory against the Rangers.

The Lightning are just 5-4 on the road in the playoffs and this will be their fourth consecutive Game 1 played in the opponent’s barn. Tampa is 1-2 in Game 1 so far in the playoffs.

Written by Dan Zaksheske, our US sports betting industry expert.

Dan Zaksheske

Dan comes to VegasInsider with over a decade of sports media experience. After spending nearly 10 years as a producer at ESPN Radio, Dan decided to combine his two main passions into one career – sports and writing. Dan is a researched-based writer with a strong attention to detail and penchant for turning nerdy sports stats into entertaining commentary. He is an NFL expert with a strong background in MLB, the NHL, and the PGA. Outside of sports and writing, Dan is an admitted cat-enthusiast with three of his own. He is also a rookie umpire who recently began calling games for middle and high school kids. More from Dan Zaksheske