Two squads that’ve positioned themselves squarely in the playoff hunt, the Dallas Stars and the Columbus Blue Jackets take the ice at Nationwide Arena in an East-versus-West showdown. The first puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 18, and it’s being televised live on Fox Sports Southwest.
Dallas Stars at Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Columbus (-115) is currently favored over Dallas (-105), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-125 for the under, +105 for the over). After they initially opened at -105 over, -115 under, those O/U odds have shifted.
Dallas is 26-20 straight up (SU) and has earned 0.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 46 regular season contests, 26 of its games have gone over the total, while 19 have gone under and just one has pushed. As a road team this season, the Stars are 10-13 SU.
Dallas has converted on 20.3 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 81.5 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Stars have been called for penalties 4.2 times per game this season, and 3.6 per game over its last ten contests. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 8.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .916 save percentage and 25.9 saves per game, Ben Bishop (20-16-2) has been the primary option in goal for Dallas this year. If head coach Ken Hitchcock decides to rest him, however, the team may turn to Kari Lehtonen (7-7-1), who has a .910 save percentage and 2.54 goals against average this year.
Jamie Benn and John Klingberg will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Stars. Benn (43 points) is up to 18 goals and 25 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 10 different games. Klingberg has six goals and 37 assists to his name, and has notched a point in 28 games.
On the other side of the rink, Columbus is 25-21 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 25 of its games have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 15-8 SU as the home team this year.
The Blue Jackets have converted on just 13.4 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that places them in the bottom overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 26th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
Blue Jackets skaters have been whistled for penalties only 3.1 times per game in total this season, 2.8 per game over their past five outings total, and 3.4 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to kill penalties just 5.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sergei Bobrovsky (28.3 saves per game) has been the top option in goal for the Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky has 21 wins, 17 losses, and three overtime losses to his name and has recorded a .920 save percentage and 2.44 goals against average this year.
Artemi Panarin (12 goals, 26 assists) will pace the offensive attack for the Jackets.
Dallas Stars vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
The majority (61.5 percent) of Dallas’ wins have come by two or more goals, and the team is 16-14 overall in games decided by at least two scores. 11 of Columbus’ wins (44.0 percent) have been decided by two or more goals.
Penalties and power plays could be key tonight. The Stars are 11-7 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 16-9 when they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes. The Blue Jackets are 12-10 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 21-15 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
Three of Columbus’ last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 2-1 in those games and 5-3 overall in shootouts this season.
The total has gone under in four of Columbus’ last five outings.
Columbus has averaged 4.4 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 6.1 giveaways per game (the 3rd-fewest in the league).
Dallas is ranked ninth this season with 8.0 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as it’s averaged 9.1 giveaways over its last 10 games and 9.0 giveaways over its last five.
