In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Dallas Stars and the Los Angeles Kings collide at the Staples Center. The opening face-off takes place at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 8, and you can watch this Western Conference matchup live on NBC Sports Network.
Dallas Stars at Los Angeles Kings Odds
Los Angeles (+115) is entering this one as the underdog to Dallas (-135) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been placed at 5 goals (-125 for the over, +105 for the under).
Dallas is 24-18 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 3.6 units this year. 26 of its matches have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just one has pushed. This 2019-20 Stars team is 9-10 SU on the road.
Dallas has converted on 18.0 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the third-best penalty kill in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 83.6 percent of all penalties.
Dallas, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.7 times per game overall this season, and 4.6 per game over its past five games. The team’s had to kill penalties 9.0 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
With a .926 save percentage and 27.3 saves per game, Ben Bishop (16-12-3) has been the best option in goal for Dallas this year. If it decides to give him a rest, however, Dallas may roll with Anton Khudobin (10-7-1), who has a .931 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average this year.
Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Stars. Seguin has 32 points on 11 goals and 21 assists, and has recorded two or more points nine times. Radulov has 12 goals and 15 assists to his credit (and has registered at least one point in 17 games).
On the other side of the ice, Los Angeles is 17-27 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 44 regular season outings, 24 of its games have gone under the total, while 18 have gone over and just two have pushed. It’s 11-10 SU as the home team this year.
Los Angeles has converted on just 14.9 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that places it in the bottom overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 27th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Los Angeles players have been penalized only 3.3 times per game this season, and 2.7 per game over their past ten games. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 5.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jonathan Quick has stopped 25.4 shots per game as the top choice in the crease for Los Angeles. Quick has 11 wins, 18 losses, and two overtime losses to his name and has registered a subpar .893 save percentage and 3.05 goals against average this year.
The Kings offense will be led by Anze Kopitar (15 goals, 23 assists).
Dallas Stars at Los Angeles Kings Betting Predictions
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Kings, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
The Kings have averaged the league’s fifth-most shots on goal (33.6) while the Stars have attempted the 22nd-most (only 33.6).
Over Dallas’ last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-2 in those games).
Dallas skaters notched 22.7 hits per game last season, while the Kings posted 23.3 hits per contest.
