NHL Odds, Pick & Preview: Stars vs. Canucks (April 18)
Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Tyler Seguin #91 of the Dallas Stars.
- The Canucks are home underdogs on Monday against the Stars.
- Vancouver is riding a five-game winning streak, but are the Canucks overvalued here?
- Tony Sartori breaks down the matchup and shares his best bet below.
Stars vs. Canucks Odds
| Stars Odds | -120 |
| Canucks Odds | +100 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (-125/+105) |
| Time | 10:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
We have a huge tilt with massive playoff implications on Monday night as the Central Division's fifth-place Dallas Stars travel to Vancouver to take on the Pacific Division's fifth-place Canucks. This is the third meeting between these two teams this season as the Canucks have won each of the first two matchups.
Will Vancouver prevail over Dallas once again, or can the Stars pick up a massive win on the road?
Stars Looking to Continue Success as Favorites
The Dallas Stars enter this contest following Saturday's 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks. Dallas has now won three of its last four games and currently sits in the second Wild-Card spot, just four points above Vegas and seven points above Vancouver.
Jake Oettinger is the projected starting goaltender for Dallas and has been great in net recently as he has allowed two or fewer goals in four of his last seven games. This season, Oettinger boasts a 0.915 Save Percentage and will look to keep his strong play going against an inconsistent Vancouver offense.
Oettinger should get help from his strong blue line in front of him as the Stars currently rank ninth in the league in five-on-five Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes (xGA). The Stars' defense has been particularly impressive as of late as opposing teams are averaging just 2.7 goals scored per game over the last 10 outings.
While their offense has not been anything special lately, the Stars still rank higher than the Canucks this season in five-on-five Expected Goals For per 60 minutes (xGF). Dallas is 8-3 over its last 11 games when priced as the favorite, and this trend should continue against Vancouver.
Can the Canucks Keep Their Win Streak Alive?
The Vancouver Canucks have entered the playoff conversation as they have won five straight games and now just sit six points behind the Kings for the third Pacific Division seed. While the Canucks still need a lot to go their way in their final seven games, it is certainly possible that they steal that spot.
However, regression should be coming for the Canucks as they rank just 20th in the league in five-on-five Expected Goals For per 60 minutes (xGF) and 16th in five-on-five Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes (xGA).
While they have gone on this five-game win streak, two of those wins have come against the Coyotes, and the other was against the Sharks. I am still not taking away from Vancouver as those two wins over Vegas during this streak have been huge; however, Dallas is a better team than Vancouver.
To make matters worse for the Canucks, the injury bug has hit them hard over the last week as they are expected to be without Tanner Pearson, Bo Horvat, and Brock Boeser. Those three all are in the top seven on the team in points and are very important players whom this lineup will miss.
Stars vs. Canucks Pick
The public will be all over the Canucks as a home underdog on a five-game win streak, especially because they beat the Stars 4-1 just over two weeks ago. However, regression is coming for Vancouver, and those three key players being out in this game is a huge deal.
The metrics favor Dallas, which is why they are favored on the road in a game that is equally as important to both teams, and I am comfortable backing them in this spot.
Pick: Dallas Stars ML (-120) | Play down to -135
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