Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel, and the Buffalo Sabres will face off against Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, and the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center for an East-West tilt. The opening faceoff will be at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 16, and it’ll be broadcasted live on Fox Sports Southwest.
Buffalo Sabres at Dallas Stars Odds
Dallas (-210) is currently the favorite over Buffalo (+175), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -125 under, +105 over.
Dallas is 27-19 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 5.6 units this year. That winning percentage, ranked 2nd in the Central Division in this young season, is an improvement over the 43-39 record from the 2018-19 season campaign. Out of its 46 regular season contests, 30 of them have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team’s 15-8 SU at home this year.
The Stars have converted on 20.5 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked second overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 84.4 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 27.7 saves per game with a .930 save percentage, Ben Bishop (18-12-3) has been the top goalkeeper for Dallas this year. If head coach Rick Bowness decides to give him the evening off, however, Dallas may turn to Anton Khudobin (11-8-8 record, .932 save percentage, 2.13 goals against average).
In the other locker room, Buffalo is 21-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 47 regular season outings, 23 of its games have gone over the total, while an additional 23 have gone under the total and just one has pushed. The Sabres are 7-17 SU as the away team this season.
The Sabres have converted on 19.9 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 29th overall and it’s successfully killed off 75.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Linus Ullmark (28.3 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for Buffalo. Ullmark has 15 wins, 15 losses, and three OT losses to his credit, and has registered a .911 save percentage and 2.78 goals against average this year.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Dallas Stars Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
Six of Dallas’ last ten games have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 4-2 overall in those games.
The Sabres are 6-8 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Stars are 15-8 SU when they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
Dallas is 2-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Buffalo is 1-1 in shootouts.
The under has hit in each of Dallas’ last five outings.
Buffalo skaters have averaged 8.0 giveaways per game (ranked sixth overall).
Dallas is ranked 28th this season with 12.6 giveaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as the team’s averaged 11.4 giveaways over its last 10 games and 8.0 giveaways over its last five.
