Dallas Stars vs Nashville Predators Betting Picks

I had Minnesota in Nashville's opener on Thursday, and the Wild's 3-1 win left the Predators with one goal. Dallas was shut out 4-0 by St. Louis on Friday and plays again tonight. Last season, Dallas played 12 games on the second night of a back-to-back. Those games averaged 5.25 total goals against 6.16 across the full schedule, and nine of the 12 finished at or below the posted total. Casey DeSmith is the expected starter. He started nine of those 12 games last season and posted a .907 save percentage over 28 starts overall. Nashville scored 247 goals last season, 21st in the league, and it lost Luke Evangelista and Erik Haula, who combined for 94 points. Dallas scored 3.25 goals per game on those second nights and allowed 2.00. The UNDER is my play tonight.

Dallas won the first meeting 3-2 on October 26, and that marked the start of a six-game losing streak for Nashville, which is currently on a three-game skid. The Predators have averaged just 2.29 goals in seven games. The Stars have won five of six against the Central Division, and the Predators have lost four straight against teams that scored at least five goals in their previous game. Jake Oettinger is ready to bounce back from a poor showing on Thursday when Anaheim scored six goals while defeating the Stars 7-5. Oettinger is still 5-3-2 with a 2.89 goals-against average this season. Dallas has won nine of the past 13 meetings and six of seven on the road. Nashville has lost 15 of 20 against the Western Conference. Take the Stars.

Dallas snapped a four-game slide with a 3-2 win over Carolina on Saturday when Miro Heiskanen scored his second goal of the game on a power play with 8:42 left to break a 2-all tie. The Stars rallied from a 2-0 deficit and Jake Oettinger stopped 26 of 28 shots. Casey DeSmith is likely in net tonight and Justus Annunen for Nashville. Annunen was lit up for five goals on 26 shots in a 7-4 loss to Toronto in his only appearance this season. The Predators went OVER in ther 5-4 shootout win over Los Angeles last night. Dallas is 4-0 OVER following a win. Nashville has lost four of six and five of six home meetings against the Stars. The Predators are 4-13 their past 17 meetings against Western Conference foes. Take the Stars and the OVER.

Nashville is 48-33 UNDER this season and the past two meetings with Dallas have stayed UNDER. The Predators have gone UNDER 10 of 13 against Western Conference teams and seven of nine versus Central Division opponents. Casey DeSmith is expected to start for Dallas, who are on a six-game losing streak (0-4-2), and DeSmith has a 2.63 goals-against average with two shutouts this season. Nashville has gone UNDER five straight Wednesday games and it is last in the NHL scoring 2.58 goals per game. Dallas is #3 in the league allowing just 2.66 goals per game. Take the UNDER.