The American Airlines Center will be the site for an East-West clash as the Toronto Maple Leafs visit Dallas to face the Stars. The opening face-off takes place at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 9, and it can be caught live on Fox Sports Southwest.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Dallas Stars Odds
With a moneyline of -120, Dallas enters the game as the favorite. The line for Toronto sits at +100 and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-120 to bet the over, +100 for the under).
Dallas is 2-0 straight up (SU) and has netted 2.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked first in the NHL in this young season, is an improvement over the 42-40 record from last year’s regular season campaign. The team is 2-0 SU at home this year.
The Stars have successfully found the net on 42.9 percent of their power play opportunities so far. That’s a big improvement from last year, when they were ranked 19th in the league by scoring on 19.3 percent of their extra-man opportunities. Their penalty kill has gotten stronger year-over-year as they’ve gone from successfully defending 80.9 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 13th overall last season) to 100.0 percent this year.
The Stars, as a collective unit, have been penalized 4.5 times per game this season. Last year, they posted the fourth-highest figure in the league with 4.2 penalties per game. After serving an average of 10.1 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 10.5 minutes per outing this season.
Sporting a .984 save percentage and 31.0 saves per game, the undefeated Ben Bishop (2-0) has been the top option in goal for the Stars this year.
Toronto is 2-1 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. Through three regular season outings, two of its games have gone over the total, while one has gone under the total and none have pushed.
The Leafs have recorded a goal on 42.9 percent of their power play chances this year after converting on 25.0 percent of their extra-man opportunities last season (when the team ranked second in the league in that category). The team’s gone from killing off 80.2 percent of opponent power plays (ranked 16th overall last season) to 88.9 percent in 2018-19.
Toronto’s players have been penalized 2.7 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 3.3, which was the second-lowest mark in the league. After serving an average of 7.2 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 6.0 minutes per matchup this year.
Frederik Andersen (26.5 saves per game) has been the main choice in goal for Toronto. Andersen owns a 1-1 record, and has registered a .898 save percentage and 3.06 goals against average this year.
Auston Matthews (five goals, three assists) and Morgan Rielly (two goals, four assists) have been standout playmakers for Toronto and will pace the attack for the visiting Maple Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Dallas Stars Free Picks
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Notes
Betting Trends
Toronto was 7-2 in shootouts last season while Dallas was 4-3 in games that went to a shootout.
Toronto has yet to win a game by two more more goals this season.
Toronto skaters registered 20.8 hits per game last season, while the Stars logged 22.7 hits per matchup.
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