The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens face off in the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals, with Game 1 starting Monday. Here's a comprehensive breakdown of the matchup:

Team Offense: Tampa Bay Advantage

• Lightning lead playoffs with 3.22 goals per game (Montreal: 2.53)
• Superior power play (37.7% vs 20.9%)
• Brayden Point leads playoffs with 14 goals
• Nikita Kucherov tops with 27 points (5 goals, 22 assists)
• Eight different players with game-winning goals

Team Defense: Montreal Advantage

• Canadiens killed 30 straight penalties
• Four shorthanded goals scored vs three allowed
• Strong defensive core with Weber, Chiarot, Petry, and Merill
• Excellent at limiting shooting lanes and clearing traffic
• Edge over Tampa's unit despite Hedman's individual excellence

Goaltending: Tampa Bay Slight Edge

• Vasilevskiy: .936 save%, 1.99 GAA, 4 shutouts
• Price: .934 save%, 2.04 GAA, 1 shutout
• Vasilevskiy leads in key metrics:
  • Goals saved above expected: 7.3 vs 4.04
  • High danger save percentage: .896 vs .878

Series Odds:

• Tampa Bay to win: -250
• Montreal to win: +210

Exact Series Outcome Odds: Tampa Bay:

• 4-0: +550
• 4-1: +365
• 4-2: +415
• 4-3: +450

Montreal:

• 4-0: +2200
• 4-1: +1150
• 4-2: +725
• 4-3: +750

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