The New Jersey Devils have done very well for themselves, gaining a playoff spot out of the 2017-18 season after having the worst record in the NHL last year. But this is a team that has gotten there largely on mental toughness, and they are not about to stop now. With their hard-driving coach, they believe they can pull a first-round upset over a Tampa Bay Lightning team that might in fact be somewhat vulnerable, and which in fact fell three times to them in the regular season. This Stanley Cup playoff series will start on Thursday in Tampa Bay, and VietBet customers can place wagers on the series, or any game, and on top of that, they can get real-time action through Live Betting Ultra.
2018 Stanley Cup Playoff Betting – Tampa Bay Lightning vs New Jersey Devils:
In the 2018 Stanley Cup playoff betting odds posted on this series at VietBet, the Devils are decided underdogs:
Tampa Bay Lightning -320
New Jersey Devils +260
Join Vietbet NOW for 2018 Stanley Cup Playoff Betting online! Enter promo code VIET35 good for a 35% Welcome Bonus up to $1,000.
2018 Stanley Cup Playoff Betting: CJ’s Take on the New Jersey Devils:
The Devils, who tallied 97 points with a 44-29-9 record, are led by coach John Hynes, who has incorporated a “New Jersey vs. Everybody” approach to this season. And it has worked; this is the first time in six years that the Devils, who last won the Stanley Cup in 2003, have made it to the playoffs. General manager Ray Shero has blended veterans with very young players to get favorable results. And the best player on this squad is Taylor Hall, the former #1 overall pick in the NHL draft (by Edmonton) who scored 39 goals and 93 points this season to establish himself as a Hart Trophy (MVP) candidate. Below him, there were meaningful contributions from his linemate, the top overall pick in the last draft, Nico Hischier, who tallied 20 goals with 32 assists. And there were other rookies who contributed greatly, including Jesper Bratt and Blake Coleman, each of whom scored 13 goals, and defenseman Will Butcher, who was 10th among all rookies with 44 points.
Hischier was one of only eight rookies this season with 20 goals, and there is no question that great things are expected of him. If you look at the Devils’ power rankings, however, you’re not going to be very impressed, as they ranked only 24th on offense and 26 on defense. But there is something outside the numbers that indicates this team is much better than recent editions. For one thing, they are pretty strong on the “special teams.” New Jersey is ninth in the league in power-play percentage, and they have killed off almost 82% of penalties, which is seventh best. When you consider that Tampa Bay has been substandard as far as their ability to kill off penalties themselves, this is a potential advantage.
There have been some positive results since Miles Wood was promoted to the second line centered by Pavel Zacha, and that’s just one of the personnel “tweaks” that Hynes has made. Another move, that was made out of necessity, involved having to replace his goaltender. Cory Schneider, who had been the starter, went down with a groin injury, and Keith Kinkaid got a big opportunity. The 28-year-old has been rather hot lately, posting a .925 save percentage since the beginning of March, and if you listen to his teammates, they all applaud him for his ability to retain his composure when the pressure is on. The thing about Kincaid is that he has not had any playoff experience, so this is something he’ll have to overcome. But he will do it with the help of some solid defensemen, including the team captain, Andy Greene and his partner Sami Vatanen.
The Devils are a team that likes to turn up the speed when they have the puck, and since they are used to practicing against that, Tampa Bay, which also employs an up-tempo style, won’t necessarily faze them. Could we see an upset brewing here?
VietBet gives you a tremendous free play bonus just for signing up, and of course there is reduced juice, which gives you better odds on your Stanley Cup betting after that… Live Betting Ultra enables you to place wagers in real-time, and there are a lot of great options as far as deposits are concerned, including your Visa card, person-to-person transfers (like Western Union) and the virtual currency of Bitcoin, which is fast and easy with their automated system, and NEVER incurs a transaction fee!