Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche: Picks, Predictions & Statistics
Last night was a clean sweep for the home teams, with four winning in regulation time, and the Flyers overturning a 4-2 deficit to beat the Bruins in a shootout. Tonight sees a packed eleven game slate, with no real blockbuster clashes, but a number of games between the fringe playoff teams.
Here’s our picks for today’s NHL games:
Bet of the Day:
Dallas Stars @ Colorado Avalanche
Pepsi Center - Jan. 14, 2020 | 9:00 p.m. EST
- The dogs have won five of the Avalanche’s last six at the Pepsi Center (per Statschecker).
- The Stars have won each of their last five meetings with the Avs.
Both these teams enter this game coming off a loss but there’s no mistaking that the Stars have been the significantly better team as of late. Their record over their last ten currently stands at 7-3-0, whereas Colorado’s is the near-inverse at 3-5-2.
Dallas is one of the league’s lowest scoring teams, but they’ve also conceded the lowest in the league, and that’s the key to their success this season. Goalies are yet to be confirmed, but Ben Bishop is the projected starter for the Stars, he’s got a solid 2.24 goals against average (GAA) and a very strong .928 save percentage (SV%) (per dailyfaceoff.com).
The Stars have played exceptionally well on the road, they’re now 9-4-2 over their last 15, which ranks joint-second in the NHL. I like Dallas to get the win here, it’s a classic meeting of teams trending in the opposite direction, and the Stars’ defense is not what you want to face when you’re struggling. Take Dallas as the road dogs in this game.
Pick: Dallas Stars Moneyline – 2 Unit @ +125 (to Return 4.5 Units)
Vegas Golden Knights at Buffalo Sabres
KeyBank Center - Jan. 14, 2020 | 7:00 p.m. EST
- The underdogs have won each of the Golden Knights’ last three games (per Statschecker).
- Buffalo are 6-2-2 at home against Western Conference teams this season.
The Sabres are 3-2 in their last five, but prior to that they had four back-to-back losses, albeit that one came against the Lightning and two came against the Bruins. Despite these losses, they’re still a competent home team, holding a record of 13-6-3, good for a 59.1% win rate.
The Knights are a middle of the road away team with a sub .500 record of 10-8-3. They’re coming off the back of a three home game losing streak and travelling across country for tonight’s game. One positive for Vegas is that Marc-Andre Fleury is their confirmed starter in net, but he too is having a fairly average season, much like the rest of his team.
My play for this game is the Sabres. They may not have the star power of Vegas, but they’ve proved to be strong performers on home ice. It’s important to remember that the Knights are travelling 2,000+ miles for this game, and they’ve shown to be mediocre on the road at best. Take Buffalo on the moneyline as the +145 home underdogs, it’s a big number and one that holds good value.