Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars – 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Game 1 Betting Preview and Prediction

The no. 1 seed Anaheim Ducks begin their Stanley Cup journey at home tonight, where they’ve been outstanding all season long. But they shouldn’t underestimate the talented Tyler Seguin and his Dallas Stars, who took the season series over the high-flying Ducks this season.
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Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars Betting Preview

Series Lines & Schedule

Game 1 – April 16, 10:00PM ET, Dallas (+150) at Anaheim (-170); total 5.5 – view all NHL lines

Game 2 – April 18, 10:00PM ET, Dallas at Anaheim

Game 3 – April 21, 9:30PM ET, Anaheim at Dallas

Game 4 – April 23, 8:00PM ET, Anaheim at Dallas

Game 5 (if necessary) – April 25, 10:30PM ET, Dallas at Anaheim

Game 6 (if necessary) – April 27, Anaheim at Dallas

Game 7 (if necessary) – April 29, Dallas at Anaheim

Betting on the Dallas Stars

The stars aligned for Dallas way back in the offseason with the acquisition of Tyler Seguin from the Boston Bruins. The former no. 2 overall pick has been the catalyst for the Stars’ playoff push this year, with career highs in both goals (37) and assists (47) that land him fourth in the league in points (84).

Seguin and wingman Jamie Benn (79 points) will bear the offense burden for Dallas in the series, with Seguin eager to dispel the memories of his disappointing 2013 playoff run with Boston.

The excellent Kari Lehtonen will be between the pipes for the Dallas. The Finnish netminder finished fifth in GAA (2.41) and fourth in save percentage (.919) among goalies with 60+ games this season and went 8-2 in his last 10 starts of the season.

Locked in a battle with the Phoenix Coyotes for the final Wild Card spot, the Stars prevailed despite going just 4-4 in April. Dallas didn’t travel well during the regular season (their 17-20-4 road record is the worst of any playoff team) but they did hand the Ducks a rare home loss back in February to win the season series, 2-1.

Betting on the Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks rode the most potent offense in the NHL (3.2 goals per game) all the way to the no. 1 seed in the Western Conference this season. The dynamic duo of Ryan Getzlaf (87 points) and Corey Perry (82 points) finished in the top five in points this year; only the Penguins duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (176 points) scored more.

The Ducks weren’t all offense, though; Anaheim also finished 9th in team defense, allowing an average of 2.5 goals a game. Jonas Hiller (29-13-7, 2.48 GAA) was the starter for most of the season, but the strong play of rookies Frederik Anderson (20-5, 2.29 GAA) and John Gibson (3-0, 9.54 save percentage in April) has left coach Bruce Boudreau with plenty of options if Hiller doesn’t live up to his billing.

Anaheim enters the playoffs on a four-game winning streak, the last three coming to playoff teams San Jose, Los Angeles and Colorado. The Ducks will look to extend that streak in the Honda Center, which has been a fortress this season. Anaheim went 29-8-4 at home and went a remarkable 22 home games (20-0-2) without a regulation loss at the Honda Center to start the season.

Writer’s Prediction

The Ducks have the momentum, the weapons and home ice advantage, and they will utilize all of those to a Game 1 win. The Stars may take a game when the series shifts back to Dallas, but Anaheim will likely take the series easily, 4-1.
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