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- What: Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars
- Date: Friday, January 12, 2024
- Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: BSSW, BSSO, NHL Network
With only two NHL games on the schedule for tonight, we turn our attention to the Western Conference matchup between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars. The Predators, who are the road team in this contest, sit in fourth place in the Central Division with a 2024 NHL season record of 22-18-1. Meanwhile, their opponents, the Stars, are one spot ahead of them in the divisional standings and sport a 24-11-5 record.
The Nashville Predators started the 2024 NHL season with a new coach in Andrew Brunette. The club struggled early in the season, going 5-10-1 through November 14. Things clicked after that, and the Preds rattled off six straight wins after ending a four-game losing skid. The club has returned to Earth since mid-December with a record of 4-5-1. Nashville is coming off a 5-3 home loss to the Anaheim Ducks. The club is 10-7-1 on the road.
The Dallas Stars made a deep run in the playoffs last year, taking eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, to six games in the conference finals. The Stars kept their core of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski, Tyler Seguin, Miro Heiskanen, and Jake Oettinger together for 2024 and added one-time 40-goal scorer Matt Duchene to the lineup. Dallas has a 24-11-5 home record in 2024,
Before we look at the betting breakdown for tonight’s NHL matchup between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, check out our betting picks to win the 2024 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars betting picks – January 12, 2024
 | Puck Line | Money Line | Total |
| Nashville Predators | +1.5 (-160) | +158 | Ov 6.5 (-110) |
| Dallas Stars | -1.5 (+140) | -178 | Un 6.5 (-106) |
Nashville Predators betting breakdown
Filip Forsberg has been with the Predators for his entire career. A former first-round draft pick of the Washington Capitals, Forsberg was traded to the Predators before he played his first NHL game. The 29-year-old had his best career season in 2022 when he scored 42 goals and 42 assists in 69 games for the club. Forsberg started this year on pace to break the 100-point mark for the first time. He has lost some of that momentum, but the club leader in points (45), goals (21), and assists (24) is still on pace to break his career-high points total in 2024.
Juuse Saros has played the majority of games in the Nashville net. The 28-year-old has a 3.09 goals against average and a .899 save percentage on the 2024 NHL season.
The Predators rank 18th in goals per game this season with 3.10. However, the club allows an average of 3.17 goals per game. Like last season, where the team missed the Stanley Cup playoffs, Nashville has a negative goal differential. That’s something the club needs to fix if they hope to make the playoffs.
Nashville has the No. 17 power play in the league (20.9 percent), and the team ranks 25th in penalty kill percentage (76.7).
Dallas Stars betting breakdown
The Dallas Stars‘ decision to keep their core together for another year was wise. The team was a deep one last year, with nine players who scored more than 10 goals in the regular season. Adding Matt Duchene to that group will only help, as Duchene put up 22 goals for Nashville in 2023 after scoring a career-high 43 for that club in 2022.
Jason Robertson leads the Stars in scoring with 41 points. He is also first on the team in assists with 26. Dallas’ leading goal scorer is Roope Hintz, with 17. Seven Stars’ players have scored 10 or more goals this season. That number includes Duchene, who has 12, and who is on pace to have the second-best season of his career. The former Predator scored 86 points for Nashville in 2022.
Jake Oettinger last played in net for the Stars on December 15. With their starting goalie on the shelf, the Stars have relied on Scott Wedgewood. Wedgewood has played well. He has a 3.11 goals against average and a .895 save percentage on the season. His record is 12-4-3, and if he remains steady and the team keeps performing well in front of him, there’s no reason to rush Oettinger back before he is ready.
Dallas has the No. 12 power play in the NHL (23.0 percent), and the No. 4 penalty kill (85.2 percent).
Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars betting trends
Nashville‘s offense has been good. The team has scored three or more goals in seven of their past 10 outings, and they rank 16th in shots per game with 30.6. However, the team ranks 18th in goals against per game with 3.17. Dallas has scored four or more goals in six of its past 10 outings. The Stars are second in goals scored per game (3.68) and 17th in shots per game 30.4. The Stars rank 14th in fewest goals allowed per game (3.03) and 10th in fewest shots allowed per game 29.6).
These teams have played twice this year. Dallas downed Nashville on the road in late December (3-2), and the Predators evened the series in early January, beating the Stars 4-3 in Dallas.
Dallas has the advantage over the Predators in their last 10 games with a 6-3-1 record. They have outscored the Predators 31-21 in those matchups.
Best bets for Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars
The Stars have scored 11 goals in the team’s past two outings and given up just two goals. Look for the team to come into this game confident in their offense and defense. Meanwhile, the Predators have surrendered 14 goals in their past three outings while scoring 10. The betting pick is for the Stars to defeat the Predators at home.
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