The Dallas Stars won Game 2 at home, avoiding going down 0-2 in the series.
Now, the series will head North to Minnesota for Game 3 on Friday night. The Stars are once again the betting favorites to advance to the second round, but tonight’s pivotal matchup is set as a near coin flip.
Let’s take a look at the odds for the game and then I’ll let you know my best bet.
Stars vs. Wild odds, puck line, and total
Stars vs. Wild prediction and pick
5-on-5 play during this series has been relatively even across the board, but I’m going to trust the season long numbers that tell me the Stars are the far superior offensive team. They outranked the Wild in the regular season in every major offensive category, including expected goals, high-danger scoring chances created, and shooting percentage.
Then, there’s the Stars’ special teams. Dallas was third in penalty killing this season while also sporting the fifth best powerplay. That advantage has shown up in this series, as the Stars have already scored five powerplay goals through the first two games.
The strong play while having a man advantage has been no coincidence, and it will continue to be the difference maker as the series progresses.
I’ll back the Stars at pick’em odds tonight.
–
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
