Consistency is the key to success over the course of an 82-game NHL season, which is why teams strive to create an identity that they can build on. Through the course of the first 3 games, it appears as though the Dallas Stars are having a little difficulty figuring out what they are going to be. They will take another stab at it when they head into Tampa to face the Lightning on Thursday night, with the Lightning listed as favorites on NHL odds.
While they will be disappointed to have their unbeaten streak broken, the Tampa Bay Lightning (3-1-0) will not be too disheartened at losing on the road to the Detroit Red Wings. They finished a modest 3-game trip with a winning record, and that is really all you can ask for in this league. You have to give credit to a Detroit team that was able to shut down a Lightning offense that has started the season very much as advertised. Even after a 3-1 loss, the Lightning are still sporting a very healthy 3.5 goals per game average. Tampa Bay are very much spreading the wealth when it comes to scoring so far, which means their opponents rarely get a chance to relax defensively. It has also been a good start defensively, with Ben Bishop starting all 4 games so far, and posting a 2.00 GAA in the process.
Stars vs Lightning: NHL Odds and Game Preview
Date: Thursday, October 15, 2015 Time: 7:30PM Venue: Amalie Arena Opening Line: Tampa Bay -118
.@BBurnsNHL: Back-to-back games showed that there’ll be no nights off for the Bolts this year http://t.co/hovD1rFeyu pic.twitter.com/ZUcIVePnDM
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) October 14, 2015
Dallas (2-1-0) brought in a number of new guys in the offseason with playoff experience. The fact that most of those guys play on the offensive side of the ice seemed to suggest that this would be a team that would rely on attack. That seemed like a pretty decent plan given that their defense and goaltending is not exactly the highlight of their line-up. To say that people were surprised by their 3-0 win over the Penguins in their opening game is putting things mildly, although Dallas did get back to more of what we expected in their second game, which was a 6-3 shelling at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. Following that up with a 4-2 win over Edmonton did little to help anyone see what sort of team the Stars are going to be this year, and I fear the waters may be even more muddied after they face the powerful Tampa Bay Lightning.
While they will be disappointed to have their unbeaten streak broken, the Tampa Bay Lightning (3-1-0) will not be too disheartened at losing on the road to the Detroit Red Wings. They finished a modest 3-game trip with a winning record, and that is really all you can ask for in this league. You have to give credit to a Detroit team that was able to shut down a Lightning offense that has started the season very much as advertised. Even after a 3-1 loss, the Lightning are still sporting a very healthy 3.5 goals per game average. Tampa Bay are very much spreading the wealth when it comes to scoring so far, which means their opponents rarely get a chance to relax defensively. It has also been a good start defensively, with Ben Bishop starting all 4 games so far, and posting a 2.00 GAA in the process.
