Facing each other for the final time this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Dallas Stars meet at the American Airlines Center. This East-West matchup will get underway at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 23, and it can be watched live on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Dallas Stars Odds
With a -115 moneyline, Dallas comes into the contest as the narrow favorite. The line for Pittsburgh is standing at -105 and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. If you want to play this matchup’s total, you’ll be looking at odds of -110 money on the over and -110 for the under.
Pittsburgh is 40-35 straight up (SU) and has lost 11.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 36 of its games have gone under the total, while 33 have gone over and just six have pushed. As a road team this season, the Pens are 19-19 SU.
Pittsburgh has converted on 24.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s good enough for sixth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.9 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Pittsburgh has been sent to the penalty box 3.5 times per game overall in the 2018-19 season, 3.2 per game over its past five matchups total, and 3.6 per game over its last five road outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 8.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 29.3 saves per game with a .918 save percentage, Matt Murray (25-18-5) has been the best option in goal for Pittsburgh this season. If head coach Mike Sullivan chooses to rest him, however, Pittsburgh might roll with Casey DeSmith (15-21-5), who has a .916 save percentage and 2.75 goals against average this year.
Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Penguins. Crosby (93 points) has tallied 33 goals and 60 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 30 different games. Kessel has 24 goals and 49 assists to his nameand has logged a point in 46 games.
On the other bench, Dallas is 38-36 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 44 of its outings have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just nine have pushed. It’s 22-16 SU at home this season.
Dallas has converted on 18.9 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Dallas skaters have been penalized 3.5 times per game this season, and 2.2 per game over their past five contests. The team’s had to kill penalties just 5.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Ben Bishop (27.2 saves per game) has been the primary choice in the crease for Dallas. Bishop has 25 wins, 18 losses, and two overtime losses and has maintained a strong .932 save percentage and a solid 2.05 goals against average this year.
Tyler Seguin (28 goals, 42 assists) will pace the offensive counter for the Stars.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Dallas Stars Betting Predictions
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- The under has hit in four of Pittsburgh’s last five outings.
- Pittsburgh has managed 30.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Dallas is averaging 39.0 shots per game over its last five at home.
- The Stars are 16-17 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Penguins are 13-12 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
- Two of Pittsburgh’s past 10 outings have gone to a shootout. The team’s 1-1 in those games and 2-3 overall in shootouts this season.
- Dallas is ranked 20th in the league with 7.0 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended higher recently, as the team has managed 8.7 takeaways over its last 10 games and 9.4 takeaways over its last five.
- Pittsburgh is ranked 12th in the league this season with 7.9 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as the team has averaged 7.2 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.2 takeaways over its last five.
