NHL Preview: San Jose Sharks at Dallas Stars

Added on Mar 15, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NHL

Huge card of NHL action for Tuesday and from a betting standpoint it looks particularly tasty. In this preview we’ll take a look at a Western Conference matchup between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. The Sharks currently lead the Pacific Division with the Stars in fourth but that really doesn’t mean much–only 4 total points separate the top 4 teams in the division. Even the last place Anaheim Ducks are just 7 points out of first and just 2 points out of a playoff spot.

San Jose Sharks at Dallas Stars
March 15, 2011 5:35 PM Pacific

Both teams playing good hockey, though the Sharks coming off a Monday night loss at Chicago. Before that San Jose had won 8 of their last 11 with all three losses by a single goal. Stars are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games and all you need to do is look at the Pacific Division standings table to see what’s at stake in this game. This has been a very evenly contested series for the past several years–since 2008 the teams have split 16 games though San Jose holds a 5-3 edge in Dallas. The Stars have won 3 of 4 this year though Dallas’ victory came at the American Airlines Arena–and every game was decided by 1 goal.

In a matchup that’s this even we obviously like to go with the value but there’s a few other reasons we like San Jose here. Sharks are an excellent road team–their road record is actually better than Dallas’ home record. San Jose has also been money in the bank when looking to avenge a home loss to an opponent–they’re 8-2 +6.4 units in that role. They’ve also done better stepping up in class than Dallas has, particularly in the second half of the season. Sharks are 20-18 YTD against winning opponents but in the second have of the season they’re 11-5 +4.8 units. Stars, meanwhile, are just 8-8 against opponents with winning records in the second half of the season. San Jose has a higher ranked scoring defense and scoring offense which underscores our opinion that they’re just the better team overall. They need a win–and particularly after a lopsided loss and bad performance by goaltender Antti Neimi. We’ll look for them to get a victory here.

Bet San Jose Sharks +105 over Dallas Stars