Stars vs. Blackhawks prediction: our best bet for Tuesday’s NHL matchup

We have a Stars vs. Blackhawks prediction for one of the week’s grittiest NHL contests.

Dallas is in the midst of a cold stretch, dropping to sixth place in the Western Conference following a 2-3-1 stretch. The Stars are not a bad hockey team, but they must fight for points during the season’s final stretch.

Meanwhile, Chicago is one point ahead of Columbus and San Jose for the NHL’s lowest point total. The Blackhawks have lost five straight with almost no notable names on the roster.

With how Chicago is playing, it’ll be nearly impossible not to bet on Dallas.

Moneyline: Stars (-292) vs. Blackhawks (+235)

Spread: Stars -1.5 (-110) vs. Blackhawks +1.5 (-110)

Total: Over 5.5 (-120) | Under 5.5 (+100)

Dallas Stars -1.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook

The Stars are slumping, but they have talent and motivational edges for Tuesday’s contest.

First, Dallas is still in the thick of the playoff race. Any time the Stars can snag two points off an opponent, they need to. And the Blackhawks are the easiest two points in the NHL.

Chicago is actively trying to lose. The Blackhawks want the highest chance for the top overall pick in the draft lottery (and Connor Bedard), and a home loss to the desperate Stars is a solid spot for that.

The Blackhawks have stripped the roster to bare bones. The current active leading scorer for the Blackhawks is Taylor Raddysh, who has 20 goals and 13 assists over 73 games.

For context, the Stars have seven players with a higher point total than Raddysh.

That’s not only a fade of the Blackhawks, as the Stars’ offense can get hot quickly. Specifically, Dallas has the eighth-best power-play offense in the NHL, converting 23.2% of opportunities, per Quant Hockey.

Among the seven players with more points than Raddysh, the Stars feature three players with more than 10 power-play goals. Jason Robertson, Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski have combined for 229 points in 219 games this season, with Robertson inching toward a 100-point season.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are 20th in penalty kill rate.

It’s also hard not to back Stars’ goalie Jake Oettinger, who has positioned himself as one of the top goalies in the league over the past few seasons. He’s 15th among 100 goalies in Goals Saved Above Expected and eighth in save percentage on unblocked shots, per Money Puck.

Oettinger will have no problem shutting down Chicago, as the Blackhawks feature the worst offense in the NHL by almost every metric. Even better, the Stars played their backup goalie on Saturday, meaning Oettinger will have four full days of rest before taking the ice for this one.

So, ultimately, I expect a dominant Stars victory, especially in a bounce-back spot after a loss to Vancouver. Dallas needs this victory and has the tools to do it, while Chicago wants to lose and has zero talent on the roster.

These two played in Chicago in early March, and the Stars posted a dominant 5-2 victory. I’m betting the same thing happens on Tuesday night, so I bet on the Stars -1.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook.