Lightning vs. Stars: Game 4 Live Stream, NBC TV Schedule, Odds, Predictions

Momentum in the Stanley Cup Final is firmly on the side of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

After dropping Game 1 to the Dallas Stars 4-1 and appearing outmatched, the Lightning came roaring back with two straight victories to seize a 2-1 lead in the series. Wednesday's effort even featured a surprise lift from veteran Steven Stamkos, who returned from injury for his first playoff game of the season and scored a goal in limited action.

The captain's return and a dominant 5-2 victory made it seem as if it is just a matter of time before Tampa Bay hoists the Cup, but Dallas is just one win away in Game 4 from making this a best-of-three series. 

With that in mind, here is the key information for the next contest.

Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final

Date: Friday, Sept. 25

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports' live stream page and the NBC Sports app

Odds: Tampa Bay -1.5 (per DraftKings, as of Thursday at 1 a.m. ET)

Prediction: Lightning win Game 4

It's difficult to pick against Tampa if goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is playing well.

He saved 27 of the 29 shots in Game 2 to bounce back from a lackluster start of the series and then stopped 22 of the 24 shots in Wednesday's contest to keep the momentum rolling.

The Lightning will almost always win when they give up two or fewer goals.

After all, they led the league in goals per game (3.47) during the regular season with a dynamic attack. Their stars are also at the top of their game with the Stanley Cup in sight, as defenseman Victor Hedman, center Brayden Point and right wing Nikita Kucherov were the three stars in Game 3.

They have been leading the way throughout the postseason, and they had some help from an old friend in the latest effort.

Stamkos scored the second goal of the game as Tampa Bay wasted no time setting the tone in the first period of what eventually became a straightforward win.

He hardly played, but Stamkos still called it "a dream come true," per Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.

The dream of winning the Stanley Cup will also come true in the near future as long as Vasilevskiy continues to turn away enough of Dallas' opportunities in the offensive zone.

Tampa Bay's dominant offense will do the rest.