The American Airlines Center will play host to an East-West showdown as the Dallas Stars take on the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. The matchup gets going at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 25, and fans at home will be able to witness it live on Fox Sports Southwest.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Dallas Stars Odds
Earning moneyline bettors 1.4 units, Dallas is 28-21 straight up (SU) overall this year. That early-season winning percentage is a surprising improvement over the 34-48 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Among the team’s 49 games this season, 28 have gone over the total, while 20 have gone under and just one has pushed. The team’s 17-7 SU at home this year.
The Stars have connected on 20.8 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for eighth-best in the league. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all penalties.
The Stars, as a collective unit, have been called for penalties 4.4 times per game overall this season, and 6.2 per game over their last five match ups. The team has had to stave off opposition power plays for a whopping 13.6 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, in total.
Averaging 26.1 saves per game with a .918 save percentage, Ben Bishop (21-17-3) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Stars this year. If the Stars decide to give him a rest, however, Dallas might turn to Kari Lehtonen (8-7-7 record, .914 save percentage, 2.42 goals against average).
John Klingberg and Jamie Benn will both lead the charge for the Stars. Klingberg (48 points) is up to six goals and 42 assists and has recorded multiple points 12 times this year. Benn has 20 goals and 27 assists to his name and has notched a point in 32 contests.
Toronto is 27-23 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. A total of 23 of its matches have gone over the total, while 22 have gone under and just four have pushed. The Maple Leafs are 14-13 SU as the road team this season.
The Maple Leafs have converted on 20.4 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked ninth overall and it’s successfully defended 82.9 percent of all penalties.
Toronto’s players have been whistled for penalties only 3.6 times per game this season, and 2.4 per game over their last five outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 6.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Frederik Andersen (.920 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Toronto. Andersen is averaging 31.1 saves per game and has 24 wins, 18 losses, and four OT losses to his credit.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Maple Leafs will be Auston Matthews (21 goals, 15 assists) and William Nylander (10 goals, 24 assists).
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Dallas Stars Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Maple Leafs, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
64.3 percent of Dallas’ wins have come by two or more goals (the team is 18-14 overall in such games) while 44.4 percent of Toronto’s wins have come by two goals or more (12-15 overall in such games).
Power plays and penalty kills could play a critical role in this one. The Maple Leafs are 9-7 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 18-21 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Stars are 12-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 16-10 when their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Two of Toronto’s last ten games have ended in a shootout. The team is 2-0 in those games and 4-1 overall in shootouts this season.
The total has gone over in three of Dallas’ last five games.
Dallas skaters have averaged 9.6 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 7.9 giveaways per game (the 8th-fewest in the league).
Toronto is ranked 25th this season with 11.6 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as the team’s averaged 12.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 12.4 giveaways over its last five.
