In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild clash at the Xcel Energy Center for a divisional showdown. The match will get going at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 27, and you can catch the game live on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.
Dallas Stars at Minnesota Wild Odds
Minnesota heads into the game as the favorite with a -130 moneyline. The line for Dallas sits at +110 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Dallas is 20-17 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 37 regular season matches, 20 of its games have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and just one has pushed. As the road team in 2017-18, the Stars are 8-12 SU.
Dallas has converted on 19.6 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and it has successfully killed off 80.9 percent of all penalties.
Dallas, as a collective unit, has been penalized 4.4 times per game in the 2017-18 season, 4.8 per game over its past five outings total, and 4.6 per game over its last five road outings. The teams had to defend opponent power plays 11.2 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
With a .910 save percentage and 25.4 saves per game, Ben Bishop (15-13-2) has been the primary option in goal for Dallas this season. If head coach Ken Hitchcock decides to rest him, however, Dallas could go with Kari Lehtonen (6-7-1), who has a .907 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average this year.
Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Stars. Benn (32 points) is up to 15 goals and 17 assists, and has recorded multiple points seven times. Seguin has 17 goals and 15 assists to his credit (and has logged a point in 22 games).
On the other bench, Minnesota is 18-18 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 36 regular season contests, 18 of its games have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and just two have pushed. It’s 10-6 SU at home this season.
Minnesota has converted on 19.3 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 third overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.4 percent of all penalties.
Minnesota players have been called for penalties 4.3 times per game in total this season, and 5.4 per game over their last five games. The team has had to kill penalties 8.8 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Devan Dubnyk has denied 27.8 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for Minnesota. Dubnyk has 13 wins, 10 losses, and two OT losses to his name and has recorded a mediocre 2.69 goals against average and a .916 save percentage this year.
Eric Staal (14 goals, 17 assists) will lead the offensive attack for the Wild.
Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Betting Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Wild, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Two of Dallas last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 2-0 in those games and 3-1 overall in shootouts this season.
- The under has hit in three of Minnesota’s last five outings.
- Over Dallas last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
