Vegas Play of the Day: Pittsburgh Penguins at Tampa Bay Lightning

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, May 20, 2016 | 11:56 a.m.

We've reset the Play of the Day with fresh bankrolls and turned it into a yearly competition. Our three sports writers have re-started with $10,000 bankrolls to continue using on odds from the South Point.

Tampa Bay Lightning plus-125 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: $320 to win $400

My prayer to get back into the Play of the Day competition for the final month has plummeted. And now, even worse, I’m stuck with a day where there’s nothing appealing on the board.

I understand why the Penguins are such big favorites on the road in game 4 of this series. They’re pretty clearly the best team in the NHL right now, with none of the other three Stanley Cup hopefuls remotely close.

But I can’t shake the principle that a 30-cent jump in price in one game is too steep. Pittsburgh came in a minus-120 favorite at Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

And even though the Penguins won 4-2 and had a 20-shot advantage, rising to as high as minus-150 should be a red flag. Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, thrust into action with the game 1 injury to Ben Bishop, has played well despite his defense failing him.

Tampa Bay is too talented and experienced not to fix the issue. It’s going to do everything it can to get back into the series tonight.

Current Standings (as of July 1): Brewer (47-40-2, $10,925), Bern (32-39, $6,625), Keefer (46-57-2, $4,990)

Lifetime standings: 2014-15 Champion Bern (112-113-1), Keefer (129-140-4), Brewer (116-127-4)

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.