Stars vs. Lightning Game 3 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
It’s a best-of-five for Lord Stanley as the Tampa Bay Lightning held off the latest comeback bid from the Dallas Stars, escaping for a 3-2 victory in Game 2. A three-goal first period proved to be enough for the Lightning, who had a much-needed resurgence on the man advantage.
The Lightning advanced to 5-0 off a loss this postseason, and now look to hand the Stars their first losing streak in exactly three weeks.
Lightning vs. Stars Betting Analysis
Total bettors are most likely sticking to their guns, as neither the over nor the under has hit in the Stanley Cup Final. Both games have pushed at five, but the over has still hit in 14 of these teams’ last 20 contests.
In their Game 2 loss Monday, Dallas surrendered more than two goals for the first time since Game 2 of the Western Conference Final. Monday’s Game 2 featured three power-play goals, and for the second-consecutive outing both teams combined for over 100 hits.
Oddsmakers continue to favour Tampa Bay, who opened at -148 to win Game 3. The total is staying at five, with the over opening at -130.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay’s power play got the job done in Game 2, scoring the game’s first two goals. Brayden Point’s game-opening tally earned him his 10th of the postseason, now tied for the league lead. The Lightning needed all they could get in the opening frame too, as Dallas turned it on and outshot Tampa Bay 23-17 in the final 40 minutes.
For the first time since Game 1 of the Second Round, Jon Cooper went with the traditional 12 forwards, six defenceman roster. Carter Verhaeghe and Jan Rutta entered for Zach Bogosian and Luke Schenn, and both played fine in their limited ice time.
In other possible lineup changes, captain Steven Stamkos is practising and has not been ruled out for Game 3. Stamkos would be a huge addition to an already loaded forward group.
Dallas Stars
For Dallas, their focus moving forward is staying out of the box. The Stars opened Game 2 with three penalties, and it cost them two goals and eventually a 3-0 deficit. Anton Khudobin got left hung to dry, but still managed to stop 24 of 25 even-strength shots faced.
Joe Pavelski also hit double-digit postseason goals Monday, but the bigger story for Dallas continues to be their lack of scoring from certain offensive forwards.
Tyler Seguin and Roope Hintz, the Stars’ third and fourth-highest goals scorers this season, remain stuck at two postseason goals each. For a team that’s seen so much success the past seven weeks, it’s tough to imagine anyone getting in Dallas’ way if those two could start finding the back of the net.
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