The Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars are set to clash at the American Airlines Center in Game 4 of the NHL playoffs’s opening round. The action gets started at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 17 and it can be viewed live on USA, RSN, FSSW and FSTN.
Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars Odds
The Stars (-115) are favored over the Predators (-105), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 5 goals (-125 under, +105 over). Those lines have moved after originally opening at -110 for both.
Though the team is 49-36 straight up (SU) this season, Nashville has actually lost 5.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 85 regular season matches, 47 of its games have gone under the total, while 33 have gone over and just five have pushed. This 2018-19 Predators team is 23-19 SU on the road.
After producing the second-weakest power-play unit in the regular season (finding net on 12.9 percent of all chances), the Predators have yet to connect on a power-play goal this postseason.
The Predators’ offense attempted 32.7 shots per game in the regular season, resulting in 2.9 goals per contest (ranked 18th overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the team is managing an average of 34.0 shots on goal and down to 2.3 goals per game.
With a .919 save percentage and 26.1 saves per game, Pekka Rinne (33-26-5) has been the top option in goal for Nashville this year. If it decides to rest him, however, head coach Peter Laviolette could turn to Juuse Saros (17-14-2), who has a .915 save percentage and 2.62 goals against average this year.
On the other side of the ice, Dallas is 44-41 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. 50 of its games have gone under the total, while 24 have gone over and just 11 have pushed. It’s 24-18 SU as the home team this year.
The Stars have converted on 20.3 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Ben Bishop has denied 27.2 shots per game as the primary selection in the crease for the Stars. Bishop has 29 wins, 20 losses, and three overtime losses to his credit and has registered a solid 2.00 goals against average and a .934 save percentage this season.
Nashville Predators at Dallas Stars Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Predators, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Nashville has managed 28.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Dallas has been attempting 38.4 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- Over Dallas’ last ten outings, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 3-1 in those games).
- Nashville skaters recorded 21.0 hits per game last season, while the Stars posted 22.7 hits per matchup.
