In their third head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars face off at the American Airlines Center. This Central Division matchup will get going at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 9 and it is being televised live on NBC Sports Chicago.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Dallas Stars Odds
Dallas enters the matchup as the noticeable favorite with a -165 moneyline. The line for Chicago sits at +145, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 7 goals (-130 money on the under, +110 on the over).
The Stars are 35-32 straight-up (SU) and have earned 0.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. That early-season winning percentage is right in line with what the team posted during last year’s regular season (42-40). Of its 67 games this season, 20 have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and just eight have pushed. The team is 21-12 SU at home this season.
Dallas has converted on 19.5 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated sixth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.3 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Big D has been whistled for penalties 3.7 times per game overall this season, 3.6 per game over its past five outings total, and 3.8 per game over its last five home outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 7.8 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, in total.
Boasting a .930 save percentage and 27.7 saves per game, Ben Bishop (22-17-2) has been the top goalkeeper for the Stars this season. If they, however, choose to give him the night off, the team might go with Anton Khudobin (14-17-17 record, .922 save percentage, 2.59 goals against average).
The Stars will continue to look for leadership from Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov. Seguin (61 points) has tallied 27 goals and 34 assists and has recorded two or more points in 16 different games this year. Radulov has 20 goals and 34 assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in 33 games.
In the other locker room, Chicago is 28-39 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. 45 of its contests have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under the total and just four have pushed. As the away team, Chicago is 13-20 SU.
Chicago has converted on 21.2 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 31st overall and it’s successfully killed off 72.9 percent of all penalties.
Chicago’s players have been penalized only 3.3 times per game in total this season, and 2.0 per game over their last five contests. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 5.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Ward (29.7 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Chicago. Ward owns a 14-16-4 record, while registering a .893 save percentage and 3.72 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Blackhawks will be Patrick Kane, who has 40 goals and 56 assists this year.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Dallas Stars Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Blackhawks, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The over has hit in four of Chicago’s last five outings.
- Chicago’s attempted 32.3 shots per game overall this season (ranked 11th in the NHL), and 37.2 in its last 10 outings.
- The Blackhawks are 10-16 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 21-30 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Dallas is ranked 23rd with 6.9 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as the team has created 8.6 takeaways over its last 10 games and 8.4 takeaways over its last five.
- Chicago is ranked 16th in the league with 7.5 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as the team has averaged 8.9 takeaways over its last 10 games and 9.4 takeaways over its last five.
- Dallas may have an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 15-12 in games decided by one goal, while Chicago is 15-17 in such games.
