Two teams that’ve positioned themselves firmly in playoff contention, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Dallas Stars clash at the American Airlines Center in an East-West matchup. Fox Sports Southwest will air the matchup, which gets underway at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 2.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Dallas Stars Odds
With a moneyline of -155, Dallas comes into the game as the heavy favorite. The line for Columbus sits at +135 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
Dallas is 22-18 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a complete turnaround from what the team did during the 2016-17 season (34-48). Through 40 regular season contests, 23 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and just one has pushed. This year, the team is 14-5 SU at home.
The Stars have converted on 20.3 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.6 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, the Stars have been penalized 4.4 times per game overall this season, and 3.6 per game over their past five outings. The team’s had to stave off opposition power plays for 10.4 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Averaging 25.8 saves per game with a .914 save percentage, Ben Bishop (17 wins, 14 losses, and two OT losses) has been the best goalkeeper for the Stars this season. If the Stars, however, choose to rest him, Dallas might roll with Kari Lehtonen (6-7-7 record, .907 save percentage, 2.59 goals against average).
Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin will each be focal points for the Stars. Benn (37 points) is up to 16 goals and 21 assists and has recorded multiple points on eight different occasions this year. Seguin has 19 goals and 16 assists to his name and has notched a point in 24 contests.
On the other side of the ice, Columbus is 22-18 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 40 regular season contests, 20 of its games have gone under the total, while 19 have gone over and just one has pushed. The Blue Jackets are 8-11 SU as the away team this season.
The Blue Jackets have converted on just 11.7 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that places them in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 19th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Columbus’ players have been penalized only 3.2 times per game in total this season, and 4.6 per game over their last five on the road. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays 13.6 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
Sergei Bobrovsky (.918 save percentage and 2.49 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Columbus. Bobrovsky is averaging 28.0 saves per game and owns an 18-14-3 record.
Artemi Panarin (10 goals, 24 assists) has been one of the top offensive playmakers for the visiting Blue Jackets.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Dallas Stars Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Stars, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
Two of Dallas’ last ten games have been decided by a shootout. The team is 2-0 in those games and 3-1 overall in shootouts this year.
The total has gone over in four of Dallas’ last five games.
Columbus has attempted 33.7 shots per contest overall this season (the second-most in the NHL), and 30.3 in its last 10 outings.
Six of Dallas’ last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals, and the club is 4-2 overall in those games.
