Stars vs. Red Wings Odds
| Stars Odds | -184 |
| Red Wings Odds | +152 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 (+110 / -134) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | BSDET |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Dallas Stars
In all likelihood Dallas will hold home ice advantage in a matchup versus the Minnesota Wild in round one which is a very reasonable situation for any team with legitimate cup aspirations although it would likely be a hard-fought low scoring series.
Dallas has played to a 7-2-1 mark over the last ten games, and has put up a very solid 52.46% expected goals rating in those matchups.
Jake Oettinger has been in tremendous form of late in goal, and has trended away from a small downswing earlier in the new year. He has been confirmed as the Stars starter in this matchup and has played to a +10.8 GSAx and .918 save % in 60 games played.
Dallas has relied less upon it's incredibly dominant top line of Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski, and Jason Robertson in years past, but it is realistic to note its scoring upside down the lineup will still put it at a disadvantage in potential playoff matchups versus the leagues elite.
Its ability to win closely contested games with Jake Oettinger is an extremely positive sign heading to the playoffs however, and we saw Oettinger almost single handedly steal a round one victory playing behind a far worse Stars team last season.
Detroit Red Wings
Coach Derek Lalonde's Red Wings team has continued to play a competitive brand of hockey down the stretch, even if it is to the dismay of some fans with a historically strong draft class on the horizon.
Defensively Detroit has continued to look more structured this season under Lalonde, and it has played to a respectable 3.15 xGA/60 over the last ten games. It has not generated much at the other end over that time frame with just 3.03 xGF/60, but both of those marks show that it is far from a true lottery team.
The Red Wings fought hard in a tough loss last time out versus the Penguins, but a couple of costly breakdowns led to a 5-1 final which did not tell the story of the game.
Ville Husso will start tonight's game, and has played to a -11.8 GSAx rating and .898 save % in 54 appearances.
Stars vs. Red Wings Pick
There has been no better team to target in 3-way tie bets the last two seasons than the Dallas Stars, and I believe tonight's game is quietly likely to end up being more of a close hard-fought game than most might expect.
That's exactly what we want when considering if a regulation tie bet could hold some potential value.
Detroit has been playing some very respectable hockey down the stretch, and it seems that the narrative that it is now playing meaningless games is hitting the betting market on this game to an extent with the Stars priced at -200.
My thoughts are that the Red Wings are more live to hang around and make this a competitive match than most might expect and think it will be blown out less often than betting numbers suggest.
However it is very hard to see Detroit ending up with too many multi-goal leads in this contest with Oettinger in goal, which makes me like the chances the scoreline stays tight.
+360 is a great number to back a tie in a contest that should be played at a high level and remain close, and is my favorite bet on this matchup.
Pick: Regulation Tie +360 FanDuel
