The Tampa Bay Lightning will face off against the Dallas Stars on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, with the puck set to drop at 2 p.m. ET, broadcasted on NHL Network. Both teams are looking to turn around their recent struggles, as the Lightning come into the match with a record of 29-13-4 and the Stars at 27-12-9.
The Lightning’s recent momentum was interrupted on Friday when they suffered a 3-2 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues, ending their impressive 11-game winning streak. In that game, Tampa Bay failed to cover as a -205 favorite, with the Over/Under reaching 5.5 goals. Nikita Kucherov contributed significantly, scoring during a two-man advantage and assisting on another goal from Oliver Bjorkstrand.
Meanwhile, the Stars have experienced difficulties lately, dropping nine of their last 11 games, including a recent 2-1 loss to the Utah Mammoth. Facing challenges in the faceoff circle, Dallas managed to win just 21 of 64 draws in that match. Mikko Rantanen provided their only goal on the power play, while goaltender Jake Oettinger made 25 saves.
In terms of betting odds from BetMGM Sportsbook, both teams come in tightly matched, with moneyline odds set at -110 for both the Lightning and the Stars. The puck line sees the Lightning at +1.5 and the Stars at -1.5, and the Over/Under is set at 6.
The projected goalies for the match are Andrei Vasilevskiy for Tampa Bay and Jake Oettinger for Dallas. Vasilevskiy has been on a solid run, remaining unbeaten in regulation in 2026 with a record of 4-0-1 this month, averaging just 1.94 goals against. He has a strong history against the Stars, holding a 16-4-3 career record against them. Oettinger, while having overall solid statistics this season, is struggling in January with an alarming 3.56 GAA.
Considering the performance of both teams, predictions lean towards a close game, with a projected score of Lightning 3, Stars 2. With Tampa Bay averaging 4.3 goals in their last 10 outings and showing strong defensive prowess, they appear to have the upper hand. As such, betting on the Lightning’s moneyline might be a worthwhile consideration, along with an inclination towards the Under given the low-scoring history between these two teams.