Stars vs Lightning Game 2 Odds & Picks – Sep. 21

• The Dallas Stars have a 1-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final
• Game 2 is set for Monday, September 21st, at 8:00 PM ET
• See the odds, game preview, and betting prediction, below

After taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, the Dallas Stars have opened as underdogs, again, in the Game 2 of the best-of-seven series.

Will Tampa’s talent prevail in Game 2 or should you continuing backing the Stars at an enticing price?

Stars vs Lightning Game 2 Odds

Odds taken Sep. 19 at DraftKings.

Energized Stars Take Game 1

The Stars entered Game 1 on Saturday having not played since Monday, while the Bolts last played on Thursday. The rest discrepancy was evident in the opening game of the finals. An energized Stars team took it to the Lightning in the early going and cruised to a 4-1 victory.

The Stars won this game due to a very strong first 40 minutes. They limited the Bolts to just four shots in the first period and took a commanding 3-1 lead into the final frame. Dallas’ depth also came through in the victory, with Joel Hanley, Jamie Oleksiak, Joel Kiviranta, and Jason Dickinson scoring the goals for the Stars in Game 1.

Bolts Stymied by Khudobin 

The Lightning may have lost Game 1, but they have some positives to take into Game 2. The Lightning offense came alive in the third period and outshot Dallas 22-2 in the final frame. They may have made a comeback if it weren’t for an outstanding goaltending performance from the opposition.

https://twitter.com/DallasStars/status/1307496147041345543?s=20

Stars’ netminder Anton Khudobin has been one of the best stories of the playoffs, and he showed exactly why in Game 1. Khudobin stopped 35 of 36 shots in the victory and has now stopped 188 of 197 shots (.954 save percentage) since the start of the Western Conference Final.

In the Tampa crease, Vasilevsky comes away with an ugly .842 save percentage on the night, but the Vezina Trophy nominee actually made a couple sensational saves and got an unlucky bounce on one of the goals. Another Dallas goal was an empty-netter.

The Best Bet for Game 2

A 4-1 loss may not look great on paper for the Bolts, but it’s important to remember the Lightning got banged up in their series with the Islanders and didn’t get much rest prior to Game 1 of the Final. Dallas used their extra energy to take control of the game early, yet it was the Bolts who looked like the much stronger team later on.

GOAL: Coleman's shot is stopped but the rebound bounces off Gourde's skate then off Hintz's skate and #GoBolts tie the game at 1. https://t.co/mDLZc4njsd pic.twitter.com/yMLbrNlW4x

— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) September 20, 2020

Look for the Lightning to bounce-back in a big way in Game 2. Khudobin isn’t going to stymie the top-ranked offense in the Eastern Conference all series. The Lightning scored three times on Khudobin in their lone regular-season meeting against him and are too talented not to breakthrough eventually.

One popular betting play for the Stars recently has been the ‘under’. It either hit for a sixth straight game or pushed depending on where you got the line for Game 1. With how well Tampa played in period three, I’d stay away from the total for Game 2.

Bet on the Lightning bouncing back in Game 2. It’s easy to forget that both St. Louis and Washington dropped Game 1 of their respective Stanley Cup Final series’ the past two seasons. We all know how those stories ended.  The Lightning took Game 2 against both Boston and New York in the previous rounds and will carry the momentum from the final period of Game 1 into Game 2.

Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning ML (-143)