Dallas Stars vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Game Preview

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PPG Paints Arena plays host to an intriguing showdown as the Dallas Stars travel to Western PA to face the Pittsburgh Penguins. The match gets started at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 21, and you’ll be able to catch this East-West matchup live on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.

Dallas Stars vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds

This matchup’s moneyline and Over/Under odds have not been posted by oddsmakers yet.

Dallas is 11-10 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 21 regular season matches, 11 of its games have gone under the total, while eight have gone over and just two have pushed. This 2018-19 Stars team is 4-6 SU on the road.

Dallas has converted on 20.0 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the ninth-best penalty kill in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 82.5 percent of all penalties.

For the team as a whole, Dallas has been penalized 3.9 times per game this season, and 2.6 per game over its last five on the road. The team’s been forced to defend opponent power plays just 8.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.

Averaging 27.0 saves per game with a .923 save percentage, Ben Bishop (8-7-1) has been the top option in goal for Dallas this year. If Dallas decides to rest him, however, they may turn to Anton Khudobin (3-4-1), who has a .925 save percentage and 2.37 goals against average this year.

The visiting Stars have relied on Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn this season. Seguin (21 points) is up to seven goals and 14 assists, and has recorded multiple points six times. Benn has seven goals and 10 assists to his nameand has registered at least one point in 11 games.

On the other bench, Pittsburgh is 7-12 straight up (SU) and has already lost 13.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 19 regular season contests, eight of its games have gone over the total, while another eight have gone under and just three have pushed. It’s 3-7 SU as the home team this year.

Pittsburgh has converted on 24.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s good enough for 10th-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all opponent power plays.

The Penguins have been penalized 3.8 times per game this season, and 5.0 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to kill penalties 11.0 minutes per game over their last five home outings.

Matt Murray has stopped 25.3 shots per game as the top option in goal for Pittsburgh. Murray has four wins, seven losses, and one overtime loss to his name and has recorded a poor .877 save percentage and 4.08 goals against average this year.

The home team offense will be led by Evgeni Malkin (seven goals, 20 assists).

Dallas Stars at Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Picks

Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over

Betting Trends

  • For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their past five matchups.
  • Dallas has managed 28.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Pittsburgh is averaging 34.0 shots per game over its last five home outings.
  • Pittsburgh has allowed 3.5 goals per game overall this year, but is giving up 4.8 goals per contest in its last four contests (the team is 0-4 SU over that stretch).
  • Six of Pittsburgh’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals. The club is 1-5 overall in those games.
  • The Pens this season have recorded the most hits per game in the NHL (31.0), but that average has jumped up to 39.4 over their last five home games.