Stanley Cup Finals -- Game 3 Preview: Tampa Bay Looks to Capture Lighting in a Bottle
By: Danny the Geek
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars are set to face each other in game three of the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday. After a 3-2 win by Tampa Bay on Monday, Dallas looks to regain control of the series.
In what has been a fast-paced back-and-forth series, Game 3 promises to be more of the same on Wednesday. Both teams are looking to about on fire, How should you spend your money, and who should you that comfortably? We have you covered.
All odds are as of Tuesday night based on the Spreads betting odds (https://play.spreads.ca/#tab=SPORTS)
Tampa Bay able to secure a victory in Game Two
In Monday’s contest, Tampa Bay was able to win comfortably behind goals from Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat, and Kevin Shattenkirk. Goals from Joe Pavelski and Mattias Janmark helped the Stars inch closer, but it was not enough. Now it’s up to both teams to get their scorers going for Game Three
Tampa Bay needs to stick to what works
Tampa Bay needs to ride the hot hands. Throughout these playoffs, huge names have been consistently coming up in the box score. Point and Palat each had a tally on Tuesday, and I would expect them to be the focal point of the game on Wednesday. In the 2020 postseason, Point has 26 points and 16 assists. He is particularly lethal on the power play, and he was able to showcase that on Monday. I would expect for him to showcase his skills again on Wednesday.
Palat has scored 14 points these playoffs, including three in his last five games. He seems to be in the middle of every play, and that has worked to his favor. You hear me talk about guys like Nikita Kuecherov and Victor Hedman all the time. Both Palat and Point deserve their due.
Dallas needs to rely on veterans in Game Three
For Dallas they need to continue to rely on their veterans in game three. Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn, and Tyler Seguin all need to come up big. For what it’s worth, Pavelski scored a goal in Game Two. He will need to put forth a strong effort again in Wednesday’s game. Dallas does not have as much postseason experience as Tampa Bay. Therefore, they have to rely on individual players who have been in the spotlight before.
In addition to relying on the veterans, Anton Khudobin needs to have a big game. He stopped 28-of-31 shots on Monday, and he played well despite the defeat. Dallas needs to make sure they do not allow second-chances and rebounds at a high rate.
PREDICTION:
As far as betting goes, I would feel comfortable taking Tampa Bay on the money line at 1.60. They have shown a level of grit and toughness that should be able to carry over to Wednesday.
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