A couple of teams that are squarely in playoff contention, the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars meet at the American Airlines Center for a Central Division showdown. The game will get going at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 3 and it will air live on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.
Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars Odds
Producing 1.2 units for moneyline bettors, Dallas is 29-23 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That early-season winning percentage is a surprising improvement over the 34-48 record from the 2016-17 season campaign. Of its 52 games this season, 28 have gone over the total, while 23 have gone under and just one has pushed. The team is 17-9 SU at home this year.
The Stars have converted on 19.8 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, the Stars have been penalized 4.4 times per game overall this season, and 6.2 per game over their last five match ups. The teams had to kill penalties for a whopping 19.6 minutes per game over their last five matchups, in total.
Averaging 26.4 saves per game with a .917 save percentage, Ben Bishop (21-19-3) has been the best goalkeeper for Dallas this season. If head coach Ken Hitchcock decides to give him a breather, however, Dallas could turn to Kari Lehtonen (9-7-7 record, .915 save percentage, 2.31 goals against average).
John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov will each lead the offensive attack for the Stars. Klingberg (49 points) has produced six goals and 43 assists and has recorded multiple points in 13 different games this year. Radulov has 20 goals and 28 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 32 games.
Minnesota is 28-23 straight up (SU) and has earned 2.2e-16 units for moneyline bettors this season. A total of 25 of its contests have gone over the total, while 23 have gone under and just two have pushed. As the away team, the Wild are 10-15 SU so far.
The Wild have scored on 21.0 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s good enough for ninth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 16th overall and it’s successfully defended 81.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
Minnesota’s skaters have been penalized 4.1 times per game in total this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five match ups. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 7.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Devan Dubnyk (27.6 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for Minnesota. Dubnyk has 21 wins, 13 losses, and three OT losses to his credit, while registering a .917 save percentage and 2.63 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Wild will be Eric Staal (22 goals, 24 assists) and Mikael Granlund (15 goals, 25 assists).
Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Stars, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Minnesota is 3-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Dallas is 3-2 in shootouts.
- The total has gone under in three of Dallas’ last five games.
- Six of Minnesota’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 4-2 in those games.
