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The Pittsburgh Penguins will travel to the Lonestar State to face the Dallas Stars. It will be a showdown at the American Airlines Arena as we continue our NHL odds series and make a Penguins-Stars prediction and pick.
The Penguins lead the head-to-head series 77-70. However, the Stars are 7-3 in their last 10 games against the Pens, including 4-1 in the past five games at the American Airlines Arena. The Stars destroyed the Penguins 7-1 at the PPG Paints Arena on November 11, 2024. Now, they hope to do it again.
Here are the Penguins-Stars NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Penguins-Stars Odds
Pittsburgh Penguins: +1.5 (-105)
Moneyline: +235
Dallas Stars: -1.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -295
Over: 6.5 (+104)
Under: 5.6 (-128)
How To Watch Penguins vs Stars
Time: 3 PM ET/12 PM PT
TV: ABC and ESPN+
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Penguins Will Cover the Spread/Win
Sidney Crosby just broke a Wayne Gretzky record, showing that Alexander Ovechkin is not the only player chasing ‘The Great One. ‘ Amazingly, his Hall-of-Fame career continues as Crosby is averaging a point per game and somehow remaining outstanding despite Father Time working against him. Ironically, Crosby did not score in the 7-1 drubbing they took at the hands of the Stars back in November. The Pens have struggled a lot this season and will not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unsurprisingly, the loss to the Stars highlighted numerous issues.
Crosby did not score in that game. Also, Rickard Rakell and Evgeni Malkin did not score. Even worse, defenseman Kris Letang had a plus/minus of -4. Overall, the Penguins fired just 21 shots on the net. The Penguins had chances as they won 49 percent of the faceoffs. Yet, they could not do much of anything with their opportunities. The Penguins also went 0 for 1 on the powerplay.
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The goaltending and defense were awful. Sadly, Alex Nedeljkovic allowed four goals and made just 28 saves. Joel Blomquist was the original starter and allowed three goals and made just five saves. Yet, the defense in front of both goalies was not much better. They killed just two of four penalties. Also, they leveled 16 hits and blocked 16 shots. They just could not handle the Stars' high-octane offense, and it will get even worse now as they must deal with Mikko Rantanen.
The Penguins will cover the spread if they can get Crosby involved, and he can distribute the puck to Rakell and find some scoring chances. Then, the defense cannot allow the Stars to get good shooting opportunities.
Why the Stars Will Cover the Spread/Win
The Stars might have some trouble in the playoffs as it gets closer. For now, they must focus on their remaining games, and the Penguins are still an opponent to be taken seriously, even if they are not in the playoff race.
When the Stars beat the Penguins, Matt Duchene got things going with a goal to start. Later, it was 2-0 when Mason Marchment converted to make it 3-0. Miro Heiskanen made it 4-0 with a goal of his own. Then, Heiskanen added a goal to make it 5-0. Tyler Seguin made it 6-0 before the first period even ended. There was no scoring in the second period. Finally, the Stars ended it with a powerplay goal from Wyatt Johnston.
The Stars fired 40 shots on the net in this game. Additionally, they won 51 percent of the faceoffs. The Stars went 2 for 4 on the powerplay. Overall, their offense was elite.
Jake Oettinger was awesome, making 20 saves and allowing just one goal. Also, the defense killed the only penalty they faced. The Stars also leveled 12 hits and blocked eight shots. Mainly, this defense did not allow Crosby to do much of anything and it increased their chances of dominating.
The Stars will cover the spread if they continue moving freely throughout the ice. Then, they must stop Crosby and not let him get the puck to the net or to Rakell.
Final Penguins-Stars Prediction & Pick
The Penguins are 39-37 against the spread, while the Stars are 37-38 against the spread. Additionally, the Pens are 20-18 against the spread on the road, while the Stars are 21-16 against the spread at home. The Penguins are 42-33-1 against the over/under, while the Stars are 30-40-5 against the over/under.
The Penguins are in disarray, while the Stars are a Stanley Cup Contender. Therefore, it is tough to see the Pens doing anything against a team that utterly thrashed them back in November. While this game will be slightly closer, I think the Stars will cover the spread at home and find a way to win this game. This feels like a 4-2 or 5-2 win to me.
Final Penguins-Stars Prediction & Pick: Dallas Stars: -1.5 (-115)
