Two squads that’ve positioned themselves squarely in playoff contention, the Dallas Stars and the New York Islanders face off at the Barclays Center in an East-West showdown. The first puck will drop at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 13, and it can be seen live on Fox Sports Southwest.
Dallas Stars at New York Islanders Odds
New York heads into the game as the favorite with a -135 moneyline. The line for Dallas sits at +115 and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 over, +100 under.
Earning 4.3 units for moneyline bettors, New York is 17-13 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, ranked third in the Metropolitan Division so far this season, is an improvement compared to how the team performed during the 2016-17 season (41-41). Of its 30 games this season, 19 have gone over the total, while 10 have gone under and just one has pushed. The teams 9-3 SU at home this season.
The Islanders have converted on 19.4 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 30th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 73.4 percent of all penalties.
The Islanders, as a collective unit, have been called for penalties just 3.6 times per game overall this season, and 2.4 per game over their last five outings at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 7.7 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, overall.
With a .909 save percentage and 26.7 saves per game, Jaroslav Halak (9-9-1) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Isles this year. If New York chooses to rest him, however, it might go with Thomas Greiss (8-6-6 record, .890 save percentage, 3.79 goals against average).
The Isles will continue looking for leadership from Josh Bailey and John Tavares. Bailey (33 points) has put up five goals and 28 assists and has recorded two or more points on 10 different occasions this year. Tavares has 18 goals and 14 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 16 games.
On the other bench, Dallas is 17-14 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. A total of 16 of its games have gone over the total, while 14 have gone under and just one has pushed. The Stars are 7-10 SU as the away team this season.
The Stars have converted on 18.8 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 12th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all penalties.
Dallas players have been penalized 4.4 times per game this season, and 3.6 per game over their last five match ups. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays just 8.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Ben Bishop (2.75 goals against average and .909 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Dallas. Bishop is averaging 25.3 saves per game and has 13 wins and 11 losses to his credit.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Stars will be Tyler Seguin (14 goals, 14 assists) and Jamie Benn (12 goals, 14 assists).
Dallas Stars vs. New York Islanders Betting Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The Stars are 9-4 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 11-6 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Dallas is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while New York is 2-1 in shootouts.
- Dallas might hold the upper hand if it’s a tight one late. The teams 7-3 in one-goal games, while New York is 5-7 in such games.
- The total has gone over in three of New York’s last five outings.
- New York has averaged 16.0 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 11.2 giveaways per game (ranked 24th in the league).
- Dallas skaters have averaged 6.2 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 7.6 giveaways per game (ranked seventh overall).
