Squaring off for the second and final time this year, the Dallas Stars and the Ottawa Senators meet at Canadian Tire Centre in an East-West showdown. The match gets going at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 16, and it can be seen live on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.
Dallas Stars vs. Ottawa Senators Odds
Dallas enters the contest as the heavy favorite with a moneyline of -140. The line for Ottawa sits at +120 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
Dallas is 38-33 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 71 regular season contests, 36 of its games have gone over the total, while 33 have gone under and just two have pushed. The Stars are 14-20 SU on the road in 2017-18.
Dallas has converted on 19.9 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, and it has successfully killed off 82.1 percent of all penalties.
The Stars, as a collective unit, have been penalized 4.3 times per game overall this season, 4.6 per game over its past five matchups total, and 4.4 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties 10.4 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
Averaging 25.3 saves per game with a .917 save percentage, Ben Bishop (26-25-5) has been the best option in goal for Dallas this season. If it decides to give him a rest, however, head coach Ken Hitchcock might turn to Kari Lehtonen (13-15-3), who has a .915 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average this year.
Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn will both be relied on to produce for the visiting Stars. Seguin has 68 points on 37 goals and 31 assists, and has recorded multiple points 17 times. Benn has 25 goals and 38 assists to his credit (and has notched at least one point in 42 games).
Ottawa is 25-44 straight up (SU) and has lost 15.4 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 37 of its contests have gone over the total, while 32 have gone under and none have pushed. It’s 14-20 SU at home this season.
The Senators have converted on just 16.9 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s ranked 25th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 28th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.8 percent of all penalties.
Ottawa players have been called for penalties 3.5 times per game in total this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five home outings. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays just 6.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Craig Anderson has stopped 27.7 shots per game as the top option in goal for the Senators. Anderson has 21 wins, 29 losses, and six OT losses to his name and has maintained a mediocre 3.24 goals against average and a fairly-weak .902 save percentage this season.
Mark Stone (20 goals, 42 assists) will pace the attack for the home team.
Dallas Stars vs. Ottawa Senators Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Senators, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Ottawa is 2-7 in games decided by a shootout this season while Dallas is 4-3 in shootouts.
The over has hit in three of Ottawa’s last five outings.
Dallas has managed 29.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Ottawa is averaging 33.4 shots per game over its last five at home.
Over Dallas’ last ten games, five of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 1-4 in those games).
This game features two of the more physical defenses in the league. Dallas skaters have dished out the league’s 10th-most hits per game (22.6) while the Sens have tallied the ninth-most (23.8).
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