The Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning square off in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at 8 p.m. ET Monday at Rogers Place in Edmonton. We analyze the Stars-Lightning Game 1 betting odds and lines, with NHL picks and best bets.
Best-of-seven series: Stars lead 1-0.
Stars vs. Lightning: Projected starting goalies
Anton Khudobin vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy
The amazing story of Khudobin continues, as he stopped 35 of the 36 Tampa Bay shots in Game 1, helping underdog Dallas to a 4-1 victory. He and the Stars are just three wins away from a Stanley Cup championship, but that’s still an eternity. If the Stars are able to secure the title, however, Khudobin has to be considered one of the frontrunners for the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the playoff’s most valuable player.
Vasilevskiy coughed up three goals on just 19 shots in Game 1, including D Joel Hanley’s first career playoff goal to open the scoring. How many people would have predicted that? All three goals the Vezina Trophy finalist allowed was of the even-strength variety, and he just didn’t play all that well. There is still plenty of time to get back on track. In the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Islanders, he was 4-2 with a 1.63 goals against average and .933 save percentage during the six-game series, so let’s just chalk Game 1 up as an anomaly.
Get some action on this game or any other matchup with an NHL bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!
Stars vs. Lightning: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 6:45 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Lightning 3, Stars 1
Money line (ML)
The LIGHTNING (-154) will bounce back in Game 2 after a surprising setback in the Cup Final opener. Vasilevskiy hasn’t lost back-to-back assignments since the restart. It’s a bit worrisome that the Stars (+130) have won both regular-season meetings and Game 1, but take the higher-octane offense, and that is the Lightning.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Lightning returns a profit of $6.49, while a $10 bet on the Stars would fetch a profit of $13.
Puck Line/Against the spread (ATS)
The LIGHTNING (-1.5, +180) didn’t show much in the way of offense, as Khudobin just isn’t allowing anything. But Dobby is due for a poor game, and the Lightning are just too tough to pass up at this price. You can nearly double up and build your bankroll for the rest of the series.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 5 (+115) is risky business, as playing the Under on a “flat 5” is normally not recommended. But the way both of these goalies are playing, it’s a sound play. Vasilevskiy had arguably his worst game since the restart and the game was still a push.
For an added value, play the special NHL parlay of LIGHTNING TO WIN and UNDER 6.5 GOALS (+125).
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]