Minnesota vs Dallas NHL Playoff Series Lines Report

A great regular season is no guarantee of playoff success, but it does generally mean that you will end up with a favorable match-up in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Dallas Stars had a truly magnificent year, coming out on top in the supremely talented Central Division and claiming the top seed in the Western Conference in the process. The Central ended up sending 5 teams into the postseason, and 4 of those teams are going to have to go head to head in the opening round. That is good news for hockey fans, because we are all aware that familiarity can breed a whole lot of contempt. The Dallas Stars probably got the best of their pro hockey lines match-ups, as they will be going against a Minnesota Wild time that they beat 4 out of a possible 5 times during the regular season. They will not be coming into this series believing that they will automatically move on, but this Dallas squad must feel that they are in a good position to get this one over and done with quickly. Game 1 of the series will be in Dallas on Thursday April 14 at 9:30 PM EST. You can watch the game on NBCSN, and you can wager on it at MyBookie.ag.

Wild vs Stars NHL Playoff Series Lines Report

ICYMI #mnwild opens the First Round in Dallas on Thursday.Full Schedule: https://t.co/relSrXpIsT pic.twitter.com/VTMPHcMGsC

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 11, 2016

Why bet on the Minnesota Wild to win the series

The Minnesota Wild can count themselves a little fortunate to be in the postseason at all, as they were pretty awful coming down the stretch. They ended the season on a 5-game losing skid, which is not where you want to be when you are about to face the best team in the Western Conference. It was a pretty rough second half of the season for the Wild, and were it not for Kevin Dubnyk between the pipes, this team may well have ended the season on the outside looking in. They are going to need to rely heavily on their goalie in this series, because if he doesn’t stand on his head, this one could be over before it even really begins. Minnesota are averaging 2.6 GPG, and are giving up 2.5 GPG.

Why bet on the Dallas Stars to win the series

Any team that wants to be able to take out the Dallas Stars in the postseason are going to have to figure out a way to stop this offense. The highest scoring team in the league, Dallas are an offensive juggernaut. They are also a team that will kill you if you give them too many PP opportunities. The Wild are going to have to be disciplined and defensively sound to win this series, which is not something I really see happening. The Stars were magnificent at home during the regular season, finishing with a 28-11-2 record. They went 4-1-0 against the Wild in the regular season series, which may well prove to be an indication of how this one goes. Dallas are averaging 3.2 GPG, and are giving up 2.8 GPG.

Expert pick and series prediction

While I am tempted to pick the Stars in a sweep in this series, their defense makes me a little nervous. The Wild may well steal one on home ice, but it will just be delaying the inevitable.My Series Prediction: Stars in 5.