As the adage goes, a playoff series doesn’t start until the home team loses. Well, the Dallas Stars hit the road and downed the Winnipeg Jets in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Wednesday, so this series is in full swing. Tonight, the Stars look to steal another game in the face of the Winnipeg white-out and take a 2-0 series lead.
With puck drop once again slated for 9:30 p.m. EST tonight, here’s a Stars vs. Jets prediction and best bet for Game 2.
Jets vs. Stars Game 2 prediction, pick
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the home-team Jets as -135 favorites to win on the Moneyline tonight. They hold +195 odds of covering the -1.5 puck line. On the other side of the rink, the Stars are +114 on the Moneyline with -238 odds of covering their own +1.5 puck line. As for the game total, the scoring line sits at 5.5 total goals.
Last time out, the Stars emerged victorious with a 3-2 finish fueled by Mikko Rantanen’s second hat trick in as many games. The Finnish superstar looks like the NHL’s top talent right now as he rides an absurd hot streak — Moose boasts 14 points across his last four games with eight goals and six assists in that span, including two single-period hat tricks. He’s on an all-time great playoff heater, not just for hockey, but in the history of any sport. Rantanen is carrying the load for this Dallas squad, and while his teammates haven’t scored across the last couple of games, it’s only a matter of time before they get back to producing again. With Jason Robertson back in the lineup, their upside only increases.
The Jets might return defenseman Josh Morrissey from an injury of his own tonight, but they’re still leaky in net. Connor Hellebuyck’s playoff woes continue with a .836 SV% and 3.75 GAA, predictably the worst marks of any starting goaltender remaining in the postseason field (aside from Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner, who was benched after just two games). While Hellebuyck’s played better at home than on the road, he still allowed three goals in Game 1 and the outlook doesn’t show many signs of improvement.
With Rantanen on a tear, the Stars’ improving health, and Hellebuyck’s playoff collapses, winning bets for Dallas do look attractive. With that in mind, we’re running it back with the same bet as in Game 1 — Stars to take it at the 60-minute line.
Best bet: 60 Min Line: DAL Stars (+140)
