by OddsShark (@OddsShark) – Sponsored Post
Here’s a look at the NHL odds and betting trends for the games on today’s schedule.
All NHL betting lines below are as listed at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Stars vs Lightning | OddsShark Matchup Report
Opening NHL Odds: Lightning -160 Favorites
The Lightning return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2015 on Saturday when they square off against the Stars as solid betting favorites at sportsbooks for Game 1 and the series. Back when Tampa Bay lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games five years ago, it appeared this club would be making multiple trips to the championship round by now, but instead lost twice in the Eastern Conference Final (2016 and 2018), once in the first round (last year) and missed out on the playoffs once altogether (2017) during that stretch.
On the other side, Dallas is making its first appearance in the Final since 2000 when the team lost to the New Jersey Devils in six games one year after beating the Buffalo Sabres for the Stanley Cup. The Stars are definitely the more physical of the two here in the Stanley Cup Final and have gotten phenomenal goaltending from Anton Khudobin along the way. Khudobin has seized the moment since taking over for the injured Ben Bishop – who was the Lightning’s goalie in 2015 – allowing 1.60 goals per game with a .950 save percentage and one shutout against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. Meanwhile, Andrei Vasilevskiy has been one of the NHL’s top netminders since becoming the starter in Tampa Bay, winning the Vezina Trophy in 2019, but this has been his best postseason.
The Lightning have clinched every playoff series so far in overtime, going 6-1 when playing at least one extra session. They are 14-5 this postseason and have been a favorite in 15 of those games, an underdog in two, and two have closed as a pick’em, going 10-2 in their last 12 as chalk. Dallas has been an underdog in 12 straight games going back to the second round versus the Colorado Avalanche, winning eight of them, including four of five over Vegas.
The UNDER went 4-0-1 in the Western Conference Final, and the Stars will likely look to continue that trend by slowing the pace of the game if they want to pull off the upset and hoist the Cup. Dallas has won the past two meetings with Tampa Bay but dropped five of the last seven. The OVER is 14-3-1 in the previous 18 games between the teams dating back to the 2009 season.
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