8:10 pm
September 28

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: (-160)

Dallas Stars: (+140)

 

• The Lightning look to rebound from a disappointing defeat in which they squandered a third-period lead, dominated the first overtime period and then lost thanks to Corey Perry’s tally. That said, there appears to be no panic heading into their second chance to clinch the second Stanley Cup in franchise history. “We’ve been pretty good about responding after losses,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We’ve been doing this for over two months, so we’ve got a good idea what’s ahead of us and how to respond.” Sure, the Lightning will look to make some adjustments for the potential Cup-clinching affair, but the message remains to stay the course that’s helped them get this far. For historical reference, the Lightning have never lost a series in which they have held a 3-1 lead, including all three previous rounds this year. In fact, none of the nine series in which they had that edge even required a Game 7.

• The onus is on the Stars to drum up a couple more victories in a do-or-die scenario. The good news for Dallas, however, was the lesson learned from Saturday’s game. After clinging by their collective fingernails in the first overtime, the Stars were every bit as good as the Lightning in the second OT. They earned their win because they were more aggressive instead of sitting back and letting Tampa Bay carry the play.

• There was one bit of news regarding the Lightning on Sunday. Cooper said captain Steven Stamkos won’t play any more during the series. Stamkos returned for Game 4, his first game in seven months after requiring core muscle surgery. He scored a goal, but didn’t take a shift after the first period.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Tampa Bay Lightning
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