The Dallas Stars (17-8-5) and Washington Capitals (15-12-4) meet Thursday at Capital One Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Stars vs. Capitals odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Stars are coming off an impressive 4-1 road win against the New Jersey Devils Tuesday, rebounding from a 2-1 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins Monday to kick off a 5-game road trip. The Under is 6-3 across Dallas’ last 9 games.
The Capitals have been humming on offense lately, winning 5 consecutive games with 23 total goals, or 4.6 goals per game (GPG). The team has also played strong defense and had strong goaltending that’s resulted in just 9 total goals allowed (1.8 GPG) during the impressive span.
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Stars at Capitals odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:50 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Stars -115 (bet $115 to win $100) | Capitals -105 (bet $105 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Stars -1.5 (+190) | Capitals +1.5 (-270)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +110 | U: -130)
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Stars at Capitals projected goalies
Jake Oettinger (11-4-3, 2.49 GAA, .916 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Charlie Lindgren (7-3-2, 2.81 GAA, .909 SV%)
Oettinger is looking to bounce back after a 2-1 loss in Pittsburgh Monday, although he allowed just 2 goals on 25 shots. He has allowed 3 or fewer goals in 5 of his 6 outings in December, going 3-2-0 with a 2.42 GAA and .911 SV% with 1 shutout.
Lindgren has done a solid job in place of the injured G Darcy Kuemper (upper body). He made his 5th straight start Tuesday in Chicago, turning aside 26 of the 29 shots he faced to win for the 5th consecutive outing. He is 5-1-0 with a 2.05 GAA and .929 SV% in 5 starts and 1 relief appearance in December.
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Stars at Capitals picks and predictions
Prediction
Stars 3, Capitals 2
The STARS (-115) are riding high after cooling off the red-hot Devils in New Jersey last time out. This won’t be an easy task, as the Capitals are also playing very well.
However, I’ll take a matchup of Oettinger over Lindgren 9 times out of 10. While Lindgren has been hot, a lot of the reason for his success has been great offensive support. He just won’t get that against Oettinger, the best netminder he has faced during his 6-start run.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Capitals +1.5 (-270) will cost you more than 2 1/2 times your potential return and would like a little insurance.
That’s just too expensive, however. PASS.
Over/Under
UNDER 6.5 (-130) is the best play on the board.
We have a unique situation in the nation’s capital, as Oettinger and Lindgren each hale from the small hometown of Lakeville, Minn. The 2 goaltenders will undoubtedly be very excited to face each other, and both should continue to be at the top of their games. These goalies are playing very well in December, and that isn’t likely to stop here.
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