Thursday brings an extensive slate of NHL games throughout the evening, but a showdown in Dallas Between the unbeaten Stars and the Vancouver Canucks. One side finds itself competing for a Stanley Cup; the other, looking to simply make the playoffs and hope to retain its Norris-caliber defenseman with a quality season. Still, this shapes up as a fun matchup between two quality teams who can produce some entertaining hockey in the evening window at 8 p.m. EST.
Here’s a Stars vs. Canucks prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Thursday night.
Stars vs. Canucks prediction, preview
Dallas Stars
One of just two unbeaten teams alongside the Carolina Hurricanes, the Stars look like just as much of a regular-season force as always through the small sample on ice to start the year. Dallas sits 3-0-0 with standout wins in a very difficult run that included road tilts at the Jets and Avalanche before the home opener on Tuesday over the Wild.
Early signs on offense are quite encouraging — Dallas scored five goals in all three contests, the first time that’s happened in team history. The Stars average 28 shots a game with an impressive 33.3% scoring rate on the power play thus far, a trend to keep an eye on given new head coach Glen Gulutzan’s role in building the Oilers into a power-play powerhouse over the last several seasons. Through three games, all three of Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz and Thomas Harley have recorded five points apiece, while Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson have four each. The offense appears quite impressive, but that’s not shocking given the deep roster.
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though with a defense that allowed all three opponents back into games during the third period despite nursing a lead in each contest. Dallas has given up 35 shots a night, though Jake Oettinger is playing well between the pipes with a .905 SV%.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks missed out on the postseason last year, but it was a disaster of a season overall as J.T. Miller was shipped out via trade and the vibes only got worse from there. Vancouver looked great on its opening night with a 5-1 win over the Flames, and while a loss to the Oilers felt predictable, a similar result with a 5-2 finish against the Blues felt quite disappointing.
The Canucks face an uphill battle in this contest, but they do have enough talent to keep it competitive for the most part. They’ve averaged 2.67 goals per game but also averaged just 23.3 shots, though the sample remains small and that number could tick upward. The hope is that first-line center Elias Pettersson can return to his prior form after a down year, but one point to start the year may cause a hint of trepidation for fans. The fact fourth-liner Kiefer Sherwood leads the team with three goals is equal parts exciting and concerning, but top-six talent like Brock Boeser, Filip Chytil and Jake DeBrusk haven’t looked bad by any means. Offseason acquisition Evander Kane is still getting his skates under him as well.
Defensively, the Canucks have allowed 3.00 goals per game as well as 30.3 shots, so there’s work to be done. Quinn Hughes has just one point and is a -2 thus far, but it’s only a matter of time until the franchise player gets going. In net, Thatcher Demko seems fully recovered from last season’s injury with a 1.54 GAA and .944 SV% as well, so that’s an encouraging sign.
Stars vs. Canuckspick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Stars as strong -198 favorites on the Moneyline tonight, while the Canucks come in at +164. The total sits at 5.5 combined goals.
It’s clear to see why the odds favor Dallas in this one given the top-end forward talent the team boasts, especially in comparison to Vancouver. It’s only a matter of time until Hughes begins firing as he always does on the offensive side of things, and once he does, the outlook changes a good deal for his team. Defensemen who impact all facets of the game like he can don’t come around often, and it’s clear to see he’s a top-two player at his position in the league. Improvement from Pettersson would also go a long way as well. However, the Stars are clearly the more talented team nearly from top to bottom, so they should handle business here at home.
Dallas’ power play looks like a force to start the year, but Vancouver is yet to score on its seven opportunities, also a league-low. That’ll make a huge difference, and as long as the Stars don’t concede costly penalties down the stretch like they did against the Wild, this projects as a chance to cover the puck line once again.
