The Florida Panthers (9-6-1) and their stifling penalty killing defense welcome the Dallas Stars (9-5-2), one of the NHL’s weakest power play offenses, at FLA Live Arena on Thursday. Dallas is coming off a high-scoring 5-4 overtime loss against the Lightning on Tuesday.
The Stars committed six penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Four players found the net for the Stars. Jake Oettinger saved only 33 of 38 shots against (.868%) in the loss.
Florida beat the Capitals 5-2 on Tuesday. Carter Verhaeghe scored twice to lead the Panthers. Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk both had two assists to lead the team in scoring. Sergei Bobrovsky was impressive in the win, making 41 saves (.953%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams split their two meetings last season, the last of which was a 7-1 victory for the Panthers in January. Sam Bennett (3G 1A) and Jonathan Huberdeau (1G 3A) each had four points to lead Florida. Roope Hintz scored Dallas’ only goal. Bobrovsky got the win, saving 29 of 30 shots (.966%).
FACING OFF
Dallas is averaging 3.75 goals per game for the season, second in the NHL, and they are taking on a Panthers team that is allowing 3.00 goals a game (13th). Meanwhile, Florida has found the net 3.25 times a game on average, 14th in the league, and the Stars are allowing opponents to score 2.69 goals per game (6th).
Florida averages more shots per game (39.8) than any other team in the league, though the team’s 8.3% shooting percentage ranks 31st. With an average of 30.4 attempts, Dallas ranks 22nd. Look for a few power play opportunities for the Stars, as the Panthers have been penalized 5.00 times a game, fifth-most in the NHL, for an average of 10.75 minutes (12th-highest).
The visitors are averaging 4.69 penalties (11th) and 10.38 penalty minutes a game (13th).The Stars’ 33.33% power play percentage is the second-best in the league, while the Panthers rank 30th with a conversion rate of just 14.52%. Dallas has been equally successful at penalty killing, boasting the league’s third-highest PK% at 85.07%. Florida ranks 20th at 77.42%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 25 points this season, sixth-most in the NHL, Jason Robertson is the top skater for the Stars. He is among the league leaders with 11 goals (6th) and has added 14 assists. In the net, Oettinger (6-2-0) is Dallas’ top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 1.80 GAA, best in the league, and a .938% save percentage, also best. Tkachuk leads the Panthers in scoring with 20 points. He has five goals and 15 assists. Spencer Knight (5-2-0) has the best goals against average for Florida at 2.31.
He has a save percentage of .922%. Bobrovsky (3-4-1) has played the most games in net for the Panthers this season. He has a 3.28 GAA and a .897% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Dallas is 5-3-2 on the road this season. Florida is 5-1-1 at FLA Live Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Florida Panthers (-165)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
