In their third head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars face off at the American Airlines Center in a Central Division showdown. Fox Sports Southwest will air the matchup, and the puck drops at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 21.
Chicago Blackhawks at Dallas Stars Odds
Dallas (-115) is currently favored over Chicago (-105) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -115 for the over and -105 for the under.
Dallas is 18-17 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a surprising improvement over the 34-48 record from the 2016-17 season campaign. Among the team’s 35 games this season, 19 have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just one has pushed. The team is 10-5 SU at home this year.
The Stars have converted on 19.0 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 18th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Stars have been penalized 4.5 times per game overall this season, 4.2 per game over their past five matchups total, and 4.2 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays for 10.0 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Averaging 25.3 saves per game with a .908 save percentage, Ben Bishop (13 wins, 13 losses, and two OT losses) has been the best goalkeeper for Dallas this year. If Dallas chooses to give him a rest, however, the team could turn to Kari Lehtonen (6-7-7 record, .907 save percentage, 2.59 goals against average).
Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin will each be offensive focal points for the Stars. Benn (30 points) has tallied 14 goals and 16 assists and has recorded multiple points on seven different occasions this year. Seguin has 14 goals and 15 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 21 contests.
Chicago is 17-16 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 18 of its games have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and just two have pushed. The Blackhawks are 7-9 SU as the road team this season.
The Blackhawks have converted on just 14.3 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s ranked 29th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked ninth overall and it’s successfully killed off 82.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Chicago’s skaters have been penalized 3.8 times per game this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five contests. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 6.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Corey Crawford (.935 save percentage and 2.11 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Chicago. Crawford is averaging 29.2 saves per game and owns a 16-10-2 record.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Blackhawks will be Patrick Kane, who’s got 14 goals and 20 assists this season.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Dallas Stars Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Stars, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
The over has hit in three of Dallas’ last five outings.
Dallas has allowed 3.7 goals per game, while scoring just 2.0 per contest, over its three-game losing streak.
Over Dallas’ last ten outings, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
