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- Tampa Bay (10-10-5) is a slight home favorite over Dallas (14-5-3) on Monday night
- Nikita Kucherov is leading the NHL in scoring with 40 points through the season’s first 24 games
- Puck drop is at 7:07 pm ET from Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida
Dallas drew first blood in their home-and-home series versus the Lightning after scoring three-straight goals in the first eight minutes of Saturday’s win. Tampa Bay will look to avenge the embarrassing 8-1 defeat on Monday night when they welcome the Stars to Amalie Arena.
At 14-5-3, Peter DeBoer’s squad sits in second place in the Central division while the Bolts are outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference after years of incredible success. Before we check the odds on the game and make our picks, here’s where you can find the best Stanley Cup betting sites and the top betting sites for NHL hockey in 2023-24.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Dallas Stars
 | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
| Dallas Stars | +1.5 (-260) | -105 | Ov 6.5 (+102) |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | -1.5 (+210) | -114 | Un 6.5 (-118) |
Shooting Stars
In the midst of a three-game winning streak, Dallas (14-5-3) will begin a three-game road trip in Tampa Bay (10-10-5) on Monday night. Jason Robertson scored two goals in Saturday afternoon’s 8-1 blowout of the Lightning. He only has eight on the season after putting 52 in the back of the net last year.
At 39 years young, Joe Pavelski remains ageless with a team-leading 11 goals and 23 assists. Finnish center Roope Hintz has also added eight snipes and 12 helpers, while newcomer Matt Duchene has been a bargain free agent addition with 17 points in 20 games.
WOW, what a shot, Jason!! @JasonRob1999 #DallasStars #TexasHockey #GoStars #StarsHockey #DALvsCGY #JasonRobertson pic.twitter.com/YHNSFbe0O0
— Hockey1Stars 💚 (@Hockey1Stars) November 25, 2023
Bolts down bad
The Lightning have dropped four-straight games to the Stars, Penguins, Coyotes and Avalanche. After making the playoffs in nine of the past 10 years with two Stanley Cups and two Finals losses, Tampa Bay’s pseudo-dynasty looks to be on its dying breath.
Andrei Vasilevskiy just returned from offseason back surgery last week. The former Vezina and Conn Smythe winner allowed the Stars to score six goals on 25 shots before getting pulled on Saturday.
Tampa Bay vs Dallas
Tampa Bay pays out at +210 if they can cover the 1.5-goal puck line at home on Monday night and the over/under is set at 6.5 goals. The Lightning are 6-3-3 in Amalie Arena this season, compared to 4-6-2 away from home. Dallas is one of the best road teams (8-1-2) in the NHL, however, and are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games.
The Stars are a slight -105 underdog on the money line. They have a +17 goal differential in 2023 following Saturday’s blowout of the Bolts. Fourteen of their 23 games (61%) have hit the OVER, while Tampa is 13-11-2 towards the OVER.
⚡ Andrei Vasilevskiy is BACK ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/MJUkOIbJSK
— NHL (@NHL) November 25, 2023
Kucherov’s hot start
Nikita Kucherov is leading the NHL with 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists) in 24 games. Brayden Point (12 G, 18 A) and Steven Stamkos (10 G, 14 A) are also having respectable campaigns, but the Bolts have lost a lot of depth from the Cup-winning squads of yesteryear.
Best bet
While we’re down on Tampa Bay from a season-long perspective, this is a good spot for them. Jon Cooper’s club has been a much better home team this year and their players have far too much pride not to respond to a 8-1 beatdown.
We’ll take the Lightning to put an end to their four-game losing skid with a win (-114) over Dallas on Monday, as well as the UNDER 6.5 goals.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
