The Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars tangle in a pivotal Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday at Rogers Place in Edmonton. We analyze the Stars-Lightning Game 3 betting odds and lines, with NHL picks and best bets.
Best-of-seven series: Series tied 1-1
Lightning vs. Stars: Projected starting goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy vs. Anton Khudobin
Vasilevskiy bounced back after a series-opening loss, stopping 27 of the 29 shots he faced to pick up the win in Game 2 and help even the series 1-1. However, it wasn’t entirely clean. He was staked to a 3-0 lead courtesy of a four-minute, three-goal flurry in the middle of the first period, including two power-play goals. The Stars slowly chipped away at Vasilevskiy, and it was a one-goal game for a majority of the third period, but the Vezina Trophy runner-up buttoned it up and got it done. He lost the award to Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, and perhaps he uses that slight to his benefit in Game 3.
Khudobin slipped into an early 3-0 hole, although the first two goals by Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat were on the man advantage, and not Dobby’s fault. He hung in there after the first-period onslaught and stopped 28 of the 31 shots he faced, giving his team a chance down the stretch. Unfortunately they came up one goal short.
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Lightning vs. Stars: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 7:15 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Lightning 4, Stars 1
Money line (ML)
The LIGHTNING (-162) are moderate favorites for Game 3, and they’re a good play. Vasilevskiy hasn’t played at his best in either of the first two games in this series, and he might use the perceived slight of losing the Vezina Trophy to his benefit, not that he needs extra fuel for his fire.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Lightning returns a profit of $6.17, while a $10 bet on the Stars would fetch a profit of $13.50.
Puck Line/Against the spread (ATS)
The LIGHTNING (-1.5, +180) are worth a small-unit play, as you can nearly double up as they are able to win by two or more goals. Again, Vasilevskiy hasn’t been at his best, and he is due to stand on his head and completely box the Stars out.
Over/Under (O/U)
O/U 5 (Over -139, Under +115) is the line, but I am thinking the total will be right on the double. Each of the first two games in this series have been a push on the flat five. How about three in a row? AVOID.
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