The Dallas Stars (43-28-5) battle the Edmonton Oilers (44-26-6) Wednesday at Rogers Place. Puck drop is slated for 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we look at the Stars vs. Oilers odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
Dallas is coming off a 6-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks Monday as they can’t seem to string wins together. They are 5-3-2 in the last 10 games and sit four points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights and Canucks for the final playoff spot and the rights to face the Colorado Avalanche.
Edmonton has won two 4-0 games in a row the Golden Knights and Nashville Predators and have won eight of 10. They are two points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for the second spot in the Pacific Division. So this game will be important for both squads. C Connor McDavid is going through a dry patch with no goals and 2 assists in his last four games.
Stars at Oilers odds and lines
- Money line: Stars +133 (bet $100 to win $133) | Oilers -165 (bet $165 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Stars +1.5 (-200) | Oilers -1.5 (+150)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +112 | U: -140)
Stars at Oilers projected goalies
Jake Oettinger (27-14-1, 2.56 GAA, .913 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Mike Smith (13-9-2, 2.91 GAA, .911 SV%, 2 SO)
The 23-year-old Oettinger will be grinding his skates to get back onto the ice after he was pulled from his start against the Canucks Monday after allowing 4 goals in 30 minutes of play. He’s 3-3-0 with a 3.11 GAA and .890 SV% in April – peripherals that are a little higher than the rest of his fabulous season. He’s 2-0 with a 2.00 GAA against Edmonton this year. He stopped 22 of 25 against them in a 5-3 win March 22.
Smith is coming off consecutive shutouts over two quality teams in the Golden Knights and Predators. He’s 6-0 with a 1.49 GAA in April, stats that include a 5-goal outing against the St. Louis Blues. The 40-year-old is peaking at the right time.
Money line
This game will be won or lost on the back of Oettinger. Dallas needs this game more, but he’s going to have to keep Edmonton under 3 goals. Dallas has won half their games in the last 10, but they have scored just 2.6 goals per game along that span. C Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist last time the Stars beat the Oilers, and he’ll lead the charge again. LEAN STARS (+135).
Against the spread
Four of the last five Stars victories have been by 1 goal, and they lose a lot of 1-goal games. That +1.5 (-200) would be useful here, but we’re just going to stick to the money line instead of risking double your take. PASS.
Over/Under
The juice is rightfully on the Under here, despite the 8 goals last time these teams met. The Oilers are crazy inconsistent. During the last 10 games, they have a four-game stretch where they scored 22 goals and a four-game window they scored 7 goals. The Under has hit in three of the last four between these two squads and it has also hit in the last six for Edmonton. LEAN UNDER 6.5 (-140).