When the playoffs roll around, the match-ups in the NHL all tend to be very good, as there is often very little between the #1 seed and the team in at #8. Even when there is a gap in class, as there was this season in the Eastern Conference, the pressure of the playoffs tends to serve as the great equalizer. That was certainly the case with the Tampa Bay Lightning, as their President’s Trophy win ended up being for nothing after an opening round sweep at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Both teams that have been eliminated have come from the East, but things are still very much wide open in the Western Conference side of the Stanley Cup playoffs, with most of the series there still hanging very much in the balance. That is indeed the case with this one, as the Dallas Stars head back to Nashville to face the Predators with their series tied at 2-2. Home ice is always a great advantage to have and it probably explains why the Predators are favored by 1 ½ for this critical Game 5. The O/U for this one has been set at 5.
Stars vs Predators 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Odds & Game 5 Pick
Hintz is heating up 🔥🔥🔥#GoStars | @Kia pic.twitter.com/HppVcwo9Ho
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) 18 de abril de 2019
- When: Saturday, April 20 at 3 PM EST
- Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville
- TV: NBC
- 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Odds: Nashville Predators -150 (Total 5)
Maple Leafs vs Bruins NHL Playoffs Game 5 Odds, Preview, and Pick
Why bet on the Dallas Stars?
This is another series that has had no real pattern to it, with both teams winning a game at home and on the road. The Dallas Stars came out in Game 1 and immediately stole away home-ice advantage with a 3-2 win, but they gave it right back by losing the next 2 games, including Game 3 in their own building.They won the highest scoring, most decisive win of the series with a 5-1 blowout of the Predators in Game 4, so are sure to be coming into this one on a bit of a high. If this series is to go the way of the Stars, they need to find a way to get another win in a very tough environment. Dallas were 19-18-4 on the road this season, so getting that win is by no means a given.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 2.57
- Shots: 30.71
- PP/PK Percentage: 21.03
Defense
- Goals: 2.44
- Shots: 31.71
- PP/PK Percentage: 16.47
Why bet on the Nashville Predators?
When the Predators made a run to the Stanley Cup Final a few years back, they did so by playing some killer defense. That has been their M.O. for a while now, so it was no real surprise to see the opening 3 games of this series all be tight and low on goals. What was a surprise was that the Predators allowed 5 goals in a game that could have given them a stranglehold on the series with a win.
They need to shake that one off quickly and get back to the style that took them to a 25-14-2 home ice record during the regular season. They were able to bounce back nicely with a 2-1 win after being surprised in Game 1, so don’t expect that last loss to hurt them too much.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 2.88
- Shots: 32.73
- PP/PK Percentage: 12.83
Defense
- Goals: 2.62
- Shots: 30.02
- PP/PK Percentage: 18.08
Stars vs Predators 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Trends
- Dallas is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Nashville
- Dallas is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas’s last 6 games on the road
- Nashville is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
- Nashville is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Nashville’s last 16 games
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction
I honestly believed that the Predators would be close to having this series wrapped up by now, but they are being made to work for it. That last game was a bit of an aberration, so let’s take Nashville to win and the UNDER.Score: Dallas Stars 1 – Nashville Predators 3
