Kings vs. Stars
| Kings Odds | +132 |
| Stars Odds | -156 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (Over +104 / Under -128) |
| Time | 8:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+, Hulu |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
After starting their season with a 2-2 road trip, the Dallas Stars will host the Los Angeles Kings (1-2) for their home opener on Friday night.
Often in these situations, teams will try to put on a show for their fans. But these are two teams who take pride in their defensive games, and they haven't shown much scoring pop in the early going.
This game projects to be a low-scoring affair that could be decided by a single goal. For the pragmatic bettor, it makes sense to take the under.
Los Angeles Kings
After coming out of the gate with a rousing 6-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, the Kings slid back to earth in their two subsequent contests. L.A. lost close games to both Minnesota and Nashville, scoring just three goals.
The Kings' expected goal percentage aligns with those results. Ranked 21st in the league in all situations at 47.91%, L.A.'s games have been played almost exclusively at even strength. The Kings have had eight power plays in three games so far, scoring on three of them. They've been shorthanded just four times, and have allowed one goal.
The Kings go into Friday's contest with two days of rest and practice in Dallas. Drew Doughty, Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault were all given maintenance days on Wednesday to help recover from early-season bumps and bruises, but all are expected to play on Friday.
That's great news for the Kings. At 31, Doughty is out to prove that he's still an elite defenseman that is deserving of a spot on Team Canada at the Olympics. He's off to a good start, with points on seven of his teams' nine goals so far.
Thanks to Danault's defense-oriented deployment, the two-time Selke winner Anze Kopitar can focus more on the offensive side of his game. He was named the NHL's first star of the week thanks to seven points in his first two games. Arvidsson has been skating with Kopitar and Dustin Brown, and has two points in his first three games as a King.
In net, Los Angeles is shifting to Cal Petersen as starter. He has been solid in his first two outings, giving up just two goals in each game. It wasn't confirmed yet on Thursday afternoon, but he's expected to get the nod in Dallas on Friday while Jonathan Quick will start Saturday in St. Louis.
Dallas Stars
The Stars come home after a road trip that saw them bookend losses to the Bruins and Senators with extra-time wins over the Rangers (OT) and the Penguins (shootout). They're also coming off two days of rest, and their next game isn't until Monday in Columbus.
Hoping to get back on track after a difficult 2020-21 season, the Stars' big guns are still sputtering. Tyler Seguin is pointless so far, while Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov have just one assist apiece. Offensively, the team has been led by do-everything forward Radek Faksa (1-3-4) and new acquisition Michael Raffl (2-1-3).
Jason Robertson, the rookie who provided some scoring pop last season, hasn't played yet this year due to an upper-body injury. He's not expected to be ready on Friday. Depth center Blake Comeau and defenseman John Klingberg are also doubtful.
Averaging just 1.75 goals per game, the Stars' expected goal percent ranks just below the Kings at 23rd.
So far, netminders Braden Holtby and Khudobin have been alternating games with decent results. If the pattern holds, it should be Khudobin's net on Friday.
Stars vs. Kings Pick
The Stars and Kings both end up in a lot of low-scoring, one-goal contests. Since hockey is such a fast game, luck and randomness end up playing big roles in games like that. A single bounce can spell the difference between winning and losing.
For bettors walking along that kind of knife's edge, it makes sense to stay away from the moneyline. The value here lies on the under, even at a low 5.5 number. Between both teams, they've beaten that mark just once in seven games so far this season.
Behind the benches, coaches Todd McLellan and Rick Bowness are both looking to spark more offense, but not at the expense of their teams' defensive structure. That's unlikely to change on Friday night.
Pick: Under 5.5 (-122); play down to -150
