A couple of teams that have put themselves squarely in the playoff picture, the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues take the ice at the Enterprise Center. This Central Division matchup gets started at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 29, and it can be viewed live on Fox Sports Southwest.
Dallas Stars at St. Louis Blues Odds
With a moneyline of -140, St. Louis enters the game as the noticeable favorite. The line for Dallas now stands at +120, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 5 goals (-135 for the over, +115 for the under).
St. Louis is 38-27 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 3.9 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked second in the Central Division so far in this young season, is fairly close to what the team managed during last year’s regular season (45-37). Through 65 regular season contests, 32 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 22-11 SU at home this year.
The Blues have been able to convert on 23.9 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 19th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 79.7 percent of all penalties.
The Blues, as a collective unit, have been whistled for penalties 3.4 times per game overall this season, and 4.2 per game over their last ten games. The team’s had to kill penalties for just 7.6 minutes per game over their last five outings, in total.
With a .910 save percentage and 25.9 saves per game, Jordan Binnington (29-18-7) has been the most dependable option in goal for the Blue Notes this season. If the Blue Notes, however, decide to give him the night off, St. Louis could turn to Jake Allen (9-12-12 record, .923 save percentage, 2.29 goals against average).
David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly will each be focal points for the Blues. Perron (59 points) has put up 24 goals and 35 assists and has recorded multiple points on 12 separate occasions this year. O’Reilly has 12 goals and 45 assists to his name and has recorded at least one point in 36 games.
On the other hand, Dallas is 37-27 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 5.0 units this season. Through 64 regular season outings, 38 of its games have gone under the total, while 23 have gone over and just three have pushed. The Stars are 18-15 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Stars have scored on 21.6 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for 10th-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 14th overall and it’s successfully defended 81.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Dallas’ players have been called for penalties 3.6 times per game in total this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five road outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties 8.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Ben Bishop (2.49 goals against average and .921 save percentage) has been the main option in goal for Dallas. Bishop is averaging 27.1 saves per game and owns a 23-19-4 record.
Tyler Seguin (16 goals, 33 assists) has been one of the primary playmaking threats for the visiting Stars.
Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
Power plays and penalty kills may be extremely important in tonight’s matchup. The Stars are 12-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 21-19 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Blues are 15-7 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 30-18 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
St. Louis is 1-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Dallas is 2-2 in shootouts.
Three of St. Louis’ last five games have gone under the total.
St. Louis has allowed 2.8 goals per game overall this year, but is allowing just 1.5 per contest on its six-game winning streak.
Dallas has averaged 9.2 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 12.2 giveaways per game (ranked 28th).
One of the top teams when it comes to stickhandling and crisp passes, St. Louis is ranked 3rd this season with just 7.6 giveaways per game. That figure has improved recently, however, as the team’s averaged 6.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 6.4 giveaways over its last five.
