8:10 pm
September 25

Lightning v. Stars

Who will WIN this matchup?

Tampa Bay Lightning

Dallas Stars

 

Starting Goalies:

Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB): Unconfirmed

Anton Khudobin (DAL): Unconfirmed

 

Current odds:

Tampa Bay Lightning: (-150)

Dallas Stars: (+130)

 

• The Tampa Bay Lightning have found their mojo in time to take control of the Stanley Cup Final. The onus is on the Dallas Stars to counterpunch against the Lightning attack when they meet in Friday’s Game 4 of the championship series that Tampa Bay leads 2-1. Thanks to Wednesday’s 5-2 shootout victory in Game 3 in Edmonton — a score which flattered the Stars — the Lightning have a golden chance to be on the verge of the franchise’s second Cup title. Game 5 will be Saturday night, putting the series into high speed. In short, the Stars had best develop an answer to the Lightning attack or the series could be completed in a hurry.

• The question remains: Can the Stars exert their game plan enough to not only even the series but also take control? So far, Dallas has found itself in trouble all too often, lacking discipline, and it paid the price in each of the last two contests. On the flip side, the Stars have been as good as the Lightning during most of the five-on-five play, but miscues and penalties have derailed their hopes.

• The Lightning, meanwhile, are starting to roll, and looking better each game in the finals. It almost seems irrelevant whether captain Steven Stamkos is able to play again — the fact he didn’t take a shift in the final 46 minutes of Wednesday’s clash after scoring in his first game in seven months makes it likely he won’t play. The Lightning look like a team that sense the championship is nearly in their grasp. Even though he played less than three minutes, having Stamkos score a key goal and then be on the bench cheering on his teammates helped the Lightning find a new gear that Dallas simply could not match. As for playing in Game 4 or any others during the series, Stamkos was tight-lipped. “You want to have a say and you want to contribute, so (Wednesday) was an amazing experience to get out there and help our team,” Stamkos said. “But it’s about winning the next game and going from there.”

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Tampa Bay Lightning
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