The Pittsburgh Penguins are ready for another go at the Stanley Cup this season after loading up their roster. Phil Kessel arrives from Toronto, boosting the Penguins’ first line with his goal-scoring tendencies. But the Penguins’ first outing of the new season takes them to Dallas, where the young, dangerous Stars lie in wait.
The Stars should be one of the league’s best offenses this season with Art Ross Trophy winner Jamie Benn leading the way. He’ll have former Blackhawks mainstay Patrick Sharp for support, as well as one of the league’s best scorers in Tyler Seguin.
Who takes this electrifying hockey matchup? Read on as we give you everything you need to know heading into this game. Get some more hockey action with the explosive game in the Flyers vs. Lightning.
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Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Dallas Stars Preview
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
When: Thursday, October 8, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Pittsburgh Penguins (-110) at Dallas Stars (-110); total 5.5 – view all NHL lines
Betting on the Pittsburgh Penguins
It was another disappointing season for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Injuries decimated their blue line en route to a first round Stanley Cup Playoffs exit against the New York Rangers. The Penguins may be stronger this time around, though. They’re healthy to start off the season and have a very solid frontline to lead its offense. Phil Kessel makes his way to Pittsburgh after spending the past six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
[sc:NHL240 ]Kessel will be lining up with a pair of Pittsburgh’s best forwards in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby is one of the best playmakers in the league, which should help Kessel improve on his 25-goal performance last season. Crosby finished with 56 assists and 84 points last season, both ranked third in the league. Meanwhile, Malkin tied Crosby for a team-high 28 goals last season.
The addition of Kessel is a big boost for Pittsburgh. But the return of top defensemen Kris Letang and Olli Maatta further solidified the Penguins. Letang and Maatta were absent in the Penguins’ Eastern Conference Quarterfinals loss to the New York Rangers last spring. Both are elite defenders who could help goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury keep pucks out of the net.
Fleury remains one of the league’s most dependable goalies, having seven seasons with at least 34 regular season wins. But he wasn’t that solid on the road last season, going just 14-8-5 away from home ice. Furthermore, Fleury has lost seven of his last 10 on the road.
The Penguins have struggled against the Stars recently, losing three of the past four matchups since 2014.
Betting on the Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are determined to prove that last season was only a fluke. They were a pretty good hockey team with the 10th-best Corsi percentage in the league. The Stars scored 174 goals on 5-on-5 play, third-best in the league. But their defense couldn’t hold up, allowing 170 goals on 5-on-5 situations, the fifth-worst mark in the league.
The Stars’ offense returns as one of the best in all of hockey. The dynamic duo of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn returns. Benn finished with a league-high 87 points last season to win the Art Ross Trophy, while Seguin finished six spots behind with 77 points. The duo will get some more support this season with the key acquisition of Patrick Sharp from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Sharp is a solid two-way forward who could contribute on offense—he finished with 43 points as a Blackhawk last season—and he also has the speed to help out on defense. Sharp isn’t the only Blackhawks making his Dallas debut in this game, as he has star defenseman Johnny Oduya in tow as well. The two former Blackhawks should bring plenty of experience to a Dallas roster filled with fierce young players.
Sharp and Oduya will both be able to help the Stars shore up their defense. But coach Lindy Ruff has quite a predicament in looking for a formula on how to utilize two relatively solid goaltenders in Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen.
Lehtonen went 34-17-10 last season, but had lowly numbers of a 2.94 GAA and a .903 save percentage. Niemi’s previous season a shade better than Lehtonen’s, though, going 31-23-7 with a 2.59 GAA and a .914 save percentage. Having said that, Ruff may not actually make a mistake in deciding whichever goalie he wants to start this Thursday; Lehtonen has won three of his last four matchups against Pittsburgh, while Niemi has won four straight against the Penguins.
Writer’s Prediction
The Stars’ Benn and Seguin unload on Pittsburgh’s net, blasting to a 5-2 win. Create a betting account now and win each time the fat lady sings.
