Two of the leagues best at fending off power plays, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars take the ice at the American Airlines Center in a divisional showdown. This one gets started at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 2 and it’ll be showcased live on Fox Sports Southwest.
Chicago Blackhawks at Dallas Stars Odds
Dallas (-120) is currently favored over Chicago (+100), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-120 for the under, +100 for the over).
Earning moneyline bettors 1.1 units, Dallas is 14-11 straight up (SU) overall this year. That early-season winning percentage is a surprising turnaround from how the team performed during last years regular season (34-48). Through 25 regular season outings, 13 of its games have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and just one has pushed. The teams 9-2 SU at home this year.
The Stars have converted on 22.1 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 83.7 percent of all penalties.
The Stars, as a collective unit, have been penalized 4.6 times per game overall this season, and 5.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to kill penalties for 13.2 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Averaging 25.2 saves per game with a .910 save percentage, Ben Bishop (12-9) has been the best goalkeeper for Dallas this year. If the Stars choose to rest him, however, Dallas may roll with Kari Lehtonen (3-4-4 record, .897 save percentage, 2.89 goals against average).
Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov will each be focal points for the Stars. Seguin (24 points) is up to 12 goals and 12 assists and has recorded two or more points on six different occasions this year. Radulov has eight goals and 14 assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in 16 games.
On the other side of the rink, Chicago is 12-13 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 25 regular season contests, 12 of its games have gone over the total, while an additional 12 have gone under and just one has pushed. The Blackhawks are 6-7 SU as a road team this season.
The Blackhawks have converted on just 17.3 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked sixth overall and it’s successfully killed off 83.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
Chicago’s skaters have been penalized 4.1 times per game in total this season, and 3.4 per game over their past ten match ups. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Corey Crawford (2.29 goals against average and .930 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Chicago. Crawford is averaging 29.2 saves per game and has 11 wins, 10 losses, and two OT losses to his credit.
For the visiting Blackhawks, the offense will run through Patrick Kane (10 goals, 17 assists) and Alex DeBrincat (11 goals, eight assists).
Chicago Blackhawks at Dallas Stars Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Stars, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The total has gone under in three of Dallas last five outings.
- Dallas has averaged 3.0 goals per game overall this year, but has raised it up to 4.3 per match up over its three-game winning streak.
- Over Dallas last ten outings, eight of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-3 in those games).
