First place in the Central Division of the Western Conference will be on the line on Friday night when the Dallas Stars host the St. Louis Blues. St. Louis is the defending Stanley Cup champion, but they are in a battle for the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Dallas has been one of the best teams in the NHL since January 1st, and they will look to keep up the momentum in this game.
The St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars entered Thursday night in a first-place tie atop the standings in the division with 76 points. St. Louis was set to take on the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night, while the Dallas Stars will get some rest and prepare for the defending champions.
Dallas has won five of its last six games, and they have been doing it all well of late. St. Louis just recently suffered through a brutal five-game losing streak that also saw them lose Jay Bouwmeester for an extended period.
FanDuel has the Dallas Stars listed at -130 for this showdown with the Blues on Friday night.
Dallas Winning With Defense, Goaltending
The Dallas Stars are one of the most difficult teams to score on in the NHL this season, and they will need to be solid again in this game. Dallas is holding opponents to just 2.5 goals per game this season, and goalie Ben Bishop is a big reason for those numbers.
Bishop has stopped close to 93 percent of shots he has faced this season, and he will be looking for a great performance against his former team.
The Stars are scoring just 2.7 goals per game this season, but they definitely have a roster that is capable of generating more offense. Tyler Seguin really paces the offense, and he leads the team with 32 assists and 46 points.
Jamie Benn leads the team with 18 goals, but the Stars have been getting production from all four lines this season. The Stars also convert on over 21 percent of their chances on the power play, and that could play a role in this one.
Blues Have Plenty of Weapons
The St. Louis Blues have plenty of weapons as well, and several of those weapons have Stanley Cup Playoff experience. The Blues are scoring 3.15 goals per game this season, and they will look to increase the tempo in this game.
St. Louis is also allowing just 2.8 goals per game on the season, but that number has gone up over the last few weeks.
David Perron leads the team with 23 goals and 56 points, but he has gotten plenty of help from his teammates. Ryan O’Reilly leads the team with 41 assists, and he isn’t afraid to mix things up as well.
The stats don’t always tell the whole story with the Blues, and they seem to be able to find another gear when they need it.
Dallas Picks Up Huge Win at Home
There is a great chance that these two teams will meet up in the NHL Playoffs at some point, and this game could be a great preview. Dallas and St. Louis are extremely different teams, but they have each found a style of play that works for me.
The Blues are going to try to create some scoring chances with their style of play, but the Dallas Stars simply don’t give up many goals. Dallas has been playing better hockey than the Blues of late, and they will be too much on home ice.
Bet the Dallas Stars -130 over the St. Louis Blues in this Central Division showdown.
