The Nashville Predators go into Dallas to take on the Stars, in this divisional rivalry matchup. It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Predators-Stars prediction and pick.

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It's a rare sight to see a team like Nashville have a positive spread, especially against a team like the Stars who are 12 points behind them in the Central Division. The Predators haven't been in a slump lately either, going 4-0-1 heading into the All-Star break, and even have an impressive 14-7-4 record of the road. With that being said, the Stars have been very good at home, going 15-6-1, but went 1-2 to start off their six-game homestand before heading into the All-Star weekend.

Here are the Predators-Stars NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Predators-Stars Odds

Nashville Predators: +1.5 (-280) (-110 ML)

Dallas Stars: -1.5 (+220) (-110 ML)

Over: 5.5 (-120)

Under: 5.5 (-102)

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Why The Predators Can Cover The Spread/Win

Nashville's line opened up at +118 and has shifted towards minus money at -111 right now. The opening line is quite confusing considering the Predators have been one of the most consistent teams in the NHL so far this season; sitting in 2nd in the West behind the Colorado Avalanche. Their net-minding has been spectacular in Juuse Saros, who has 24 wins and only allows 2.35 goals against per game with a .927 save percentage through 38 starts so far. There's a reason he's a strong contender for the Vezina Trophy this year, and you can assume he'll be defending the pipes tonight against the Stars.

The Predators also have a fiery offense in their top line: Filip Forsberg, Mikael Granlund, and Matt Duchene, not to mention their now four-time All-Star defenseman, Roman Josi, who's having another Norris Trophy caliber type of season. Nashville has somehow managed to stay away from major injuries, and it definitely shows in the team's points.

Why The Stars Can Cover The Spread/Win

Dallas doesn't have the playoff position that Nashville has, but they're not to be slept on. The Stars have gone 5-2-0 in their last seven matchups, scoring five or more goals in four of those five wins. While big-name players like Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn have not been living up to their usual expectations as of yet, Joe Pavelski and Jason Robertson have both been picking up their slack; especially on the powerplay, which executes at just over 25% for the Stars. The issue for this Dallas team is their penalty killing, which is currently ranked at 8th worst in the league at only 76%. With that said, Jake Oettinger will get the start in net tonight, averaging 2.53 goals against and a .912 save percentage with 11 wins in just 16 starts.

While Oettinger's numbers definitely jump off the page, he tends to be very inconsistent, and for that reason, Dallas doesn't have a clear-cut number one netminder. If the Stars can draw penalties and capitalize on powerplay opportunities, they have a very strong chance to come out victorious.

Final Predators-Stars Prediction & Pick

Nashville is 4-1 in their past five games, despite being outshot in every one of them – a major red flag. Nashville is also ranked number one in penalties per game (4.7), giving powerplay opportunities to high-powered offenses such as the Stars. This is going to be a really close and hard-fought matchup, especially since it's a divisional rivalry game. The total seems about right, and while I don't like the value on Nashville's spread, I think it's too close to call to pick anything else. I'm taking Nashville +1.5 (-280) just because I think it'll be a one-goal game, if not in favor of the Predators already.

Final Predators-Stars Prediction & Pick: Nashville +1.5 (-280)