A pair of teams that are firmly in playoff contention, the Dallas Stars and the Boston Bruins meet at TD Garden. This East-West matchup will get going at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 27, and it’s being shown live on NBC Sports Network.
Dallas Stars at Boston Bruins Odds
Boston (-175) is favored over Dallas (+155), and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 5 goals (-130 over, +110 under).
The Bruins are 39-25 straight up (SU) and have earned 3.0 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Of the team’s 64 games this season, 26 have gone under the total, while 26 have gone over and just four have pushed. The team is 21-12 SU at home this season.
Boston currently has the third-best power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s found the net on 25.1 percent of their extra-man chances this year. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fourth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.8 percent of all penalties.
Boston, as a collective unit, has been called for penalties 3.8 times per game overall this season, 4.0 per game over its last five matchups total, and 3.8 per game over its last five home outings. The team has had to kill penalties for 9.8 minutes per contest over its last five home games.
Averaging 27.1 saves per game with a .926 save percentage, Tuukka Rask (23 wins, 14 losses, and six OT losses) has been the principal goalkeeper for the Bruins this year. If the Bruins choose to give him a breather, however, the team may turn to Jaroslav Halak (16-13-13 record, .918 save percentage, 2.42 goals against average).
The Bruins will continue looking for leadership from David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. Pastrnak (88 points) is up to 45 goals and 43 assists and has recorded two or more points 28 times this year. Marchand has 25 goals and 54 assists to his name and has recorded at least one point in 46 games.
Dallas has earned moneyline bettors 6.0 units this year and is currently 37-26 straight up (SU). A total of 38 of its outings have gone under the total, while 22 have gone over and just three have pushed. Dallas’ 18-14 SU as the visiting team this season.
Dallas has converted on 21.3 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s good enough for 10th-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked ninth overall and it’s successfully defended 81.9 percent of all penalties.
Dallas’ skaters have been called for penalties 3.6 times per game in total this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five road outings. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 8.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Ben Bishop (27.2 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Dallas. Bishop owns a 23-18-4 record, and has registered a .922 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Stars, the offense will be facilitated by Tyler Seguin, who has 32 assists and 16 goals this season.
Dallas Stars vs. Boston Bruins Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Stars, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Dallas has managed 26.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Boston is averaging 36.4 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- The Stars are 12-8 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 21-18 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Dallas is 2-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Boston is 0-7 in shootouts.
- Boston skaters have forced 8.2 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 7.6 takeaways per game (ranked 14th in the NHL).
- Dallas is ranked 13th overall with 7.7 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher, as the team has created 9.2 takeaways over its last 10 games and 10.6 takeaways over its last five.
