Tampa Bay Lightning at Dallas Stars
NHL game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Dallas Stars on Jan 18, 2026. Final score: Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Dallas Stars 1.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Jan 18, 2026 |
| Venue | American Airlines Center |
| Tampa Bay Lightning score | 4 |
| Dallas Stars score | 1 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dominic James | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11:14 | 0.27 | 1.54 |
| 2nd | Jake Guentzel | C | 1 | 1 | 3 | 17:56 | 0.62 | 1.29 |
| 3rd | J.J. Moser | D | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21:24 | 0.00 | 0.84 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Tampa Bay Lightning–Dallas Stars) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 04:00 | DAL | Oskar Bäck | Nils Lundkvist, Mavrik Bourque | 5v5 | 0–1 |
| 1st 08:04 | TBL | Dominic James | Jake Guentzel, Charle-Edouard D'Astous | 5v5 | 1–1 |
| 2nd 11:04 | TBL | Brandon Hagel | Nikita Kucherov, Darren Raddysh | 5v5 | 2–1 |
| 2nd 18:50 | TBL | Jake Guentzel | Dominic James, Oliver Bjorkstrand | 5v5 | 3–1 |
| 3rd 17:59 | TBL | Pontus Holmberg | Yanni Gourde, J.J. Moser | 6v5 | 4–1 |
Team Comparison
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Dallas Stars | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 4 | 1 |
| Shots on goal | 26 | 20 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.98 | 2.74 |
| High-danger shots | 21 | 14 |
| Corsi % | 57.6% | 42.4% |
| Power play | 0/2 | 0/2 |
| Faceoff % | 39.6% | 60.4% |
| Hits | 21 | 16 |
| Blocks | 14 | 14 |
| Giveaways | 17 | 13 |
| Takeaways | 6 | 3 |
Tampa Bay Lightning Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominic James | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11:14 | 0.27 | 1.54 |
| Jake Guentzel | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 17:56 | 0.62 | 1.29 |
| J.J. Moser | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21:24 | 0.00 | 0.84 |
| Darren Raddysh | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 22:27 | 0.10 | 0.84 |
| Charle-Edouard D'Astous | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 22:20 | 0.43 | 0.79 |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14:19 | 0.16 | 0.79 |
| Brandon Hagel | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 18:03 | 0.46 | 0.75 |
| Pontus Holmberg | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 14:43 | 0.30 | 0.75 |
| Yanni Gourde | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16:51 | 0.18 | 0.69 |
| Nikita Kucherov | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16:48 | 0.43 | 0.64 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:05 | 0.04 | 0.15 |
| Anthony Cirelli | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15:58 | 0.34 | 0.05 |
| Gage Goncalves | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:20 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Jack Finley | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:34 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| Max Crozier | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20:16 | 0.02 | 0.00 |
| Declan Carlile | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:06 | 0.00 | -0.05 |
| Nick Paul | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:39 | 0.00 | -0.05 |
| Erik Cernak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:57 | 0.06 | -0.25 |
Dallas Stars Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mavrik Bourque | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11:57 | 0.08 | 0.74 |
| Oskar Bäck | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10:52 | 0.68 | 0.70 |
| Nils Lundkvist | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17:26 | 0.04 | 0.69 |
| Radek Faksa | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:20 | 0.07 | 0.25 |
| Esa Lindell | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23:17 | 0.01 | 0.10 |
| Thomas Harley | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23:25 | 0.01 | 0.10 |
| Wyatt Johnston | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18:33 | 0.41 | 0.10 |
| Roope Hintz | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17:57 | 0.20 | 0.10 |
| Miro Heiskanen | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23:48 | 0.05 | 0.10 |
| Ilya Lyubushkin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:12 | 0.02 | 0.05 |
| Sam Steel | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:00 | 0.10 | 0.05 |
| Colin Blackwell | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:40 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Jamie Benn | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:43 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Mikko Rantanen | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 18:46 | 0.19 | 0.00 |
| Matt Duchene | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18:13 | 0.00 | -0.05 |
| Kyle Capobianco | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:23 | 0.01 | -0.05 |
| Justin Hryckowian | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11:15 | 0.26 | -0.10 |
| Jason Robertson | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19:57 | 0.35 | -0.20 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 19 | 20 | 95.0% | 1.28 | W |
| Jake Oettinger | Dallas Stars | 22 | 25 | 88.0% | -0.12 | L |
Analysis
The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 4–1 on Jan 18, 2026.
Dallas Stars generated 2.74 expected goals to Tampa Bay Lightning's 3.98 — the run of play matched the result, with Tampa Bay Lightning earning the better chances as well as the goals.
Dominic James led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.54 on 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 shots on goal.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 19 of 20, worth 1.28 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Tampa Bay Lightning vs Dallas Stars game?
The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Dallas Stars 4–1 on Jan 18, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Dallas Stars 1.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Dominic James led all skaters at 1.54, on 1G, 1A and 2 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Dallas Stars generated 2.74 expected goals and Tampa Bay Lightning generated 3.98, so Tampa Bay Lightning created the better chances. That matches the result.
What were the shot totals?
Tampa Bay Lightning put 26 shots on goal and Dallas Stars put 20. High-danger chances went 21 to 14.
How did the goaltenders play?
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 19 of 20 (1.28 goals saved above expected); Jake Oettinger stopped 22 of 25 (-0.12 goals saved above expected).