The Colorado Avalanche will look to stop Tampa Bay Lightning’s quest for a three-peat, and they’re garnering a lot of interest ahead of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche have been working through their playoff demons and finally got over that hump this year. They defeated the Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, and Edmonton Oilers in 14 games on their way to this matchup with the Lightning. Tampa Bay had a more difficult time, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and New York Rangers in 17 games to get back to their third straight Stanley Cup Finals.

Of potential matchups, this is one of the more elite ones that would have stood out at the beginning of the postseason. The Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars in 2020 and the Montreal Canadiens in 2021, but this Avalanche team will be their biggest challenge. 

These clubs met twice this season, with Colorado getting the better of the Lightning in both contests, outscoring them 7-5. With both Avs’ victories against the Lightning being by one goal in the regular season, it will likely be a tight series, regardless of the final results. 

The two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Lightning opened the season with odds of +750 to win for a third consecutive time, while the Avalanche owned the highest opening odds at +600. The Avs enter as -190 favorites, while the Lightning are +155. There’s probably value at that price, but it’s also hard to argue against Colorado’s postseason dominance. It’s rare for an NHL team to be favored from start to finish like the Avalanche have, making them the most significant liability. 

Heading into the Stanley Cup Finals, the Avalanche own more than double the number of tickets at 25.9%, compared to 11% for the Lightning. 

The Handle percentages tell a similar story, with the Avalanche seeing 32.7% of the money, with just 14.9% generated from the back-t0-back champs. 

There’s a lot to like about both teams, but if you’re looking for value, it’s hard to bet against experience and the Lightning at +155.

Below you can find the odds for Colorado and Tampa Bay throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the BetMGM Sportsbook.