Vancouver Canucks vs. Dallas Stars: Best Bets and Preview

The Vancouver Canucks chased the Nashville Predators goaltender, Juuse Saros, en route to a 5-2 victory on Tuesday night.

Elias Pettersson led the charge, scoring the game's first goal and assisting on Pius Suter's insurance marker to cap off the season series sweep against their Central division opponent.

Tonight, the Canucks take on the Dallas Stars in a clash between two top-eight teams in the standings. With help from the Tampa Bay Lightning, a win tonight will put Vancouver in sole possession of first place in the NHL. 

Vancouver looks to repeat their outing from early November when they shutout the Stars 2-0. The Canadian club's success dates back further than just this season, winning in seven straight head-to-head matchups. 

Having won six of their last seven games, Vancouver enters tonight's game as the hotter team. Dallas has not been playing up to their standards as of late, winning only five of their last ten games. 

The Canucks are again at a disadvantage schedule-wise. Tonight's game will be their fourth in only six days, while their opponent has had two days of rest since their last outing.

The goaltending situation has been lacking since the Jake Oettinger injury. Backup goalie Scott Wedgewood has allowed three goals in each of his two starts in relief. 

There is an interesting correlation to the Canucks' game-winning streak against the Stars. Goaltender Thatcher Demko has played in all seven of these games. Tonight's Canucks starting goalie is the aforementioned American goaltender, Demko.

With all this in mind, the price of +125 for the Canucks on the money line has a lot of value tonight. 

Elias Pettersson Over 2.5 Shots On Goal

Elias Pettersson seems to have found his shooting prowess again, clearing his shots on goal line in three straight, averaging 5.7 shots with 8+ shot attempts in all three games.

Over the previous five games, Pettersson is averaging 6.4 shot attempts per game. When he sees 6+ shot attempts this season, he's cleared in 67% of games, averaging 4.1 shots on goal.

On the road is where the centreman has found most of his production last season, covering 68% of his road games. We're starting to see this come back to form, clearing in five of his last seven away from home. 

Against Dallas, the Swede averages 3.4 shots on 5.0 shot attempts over his last seven games. Over their last ten games, the Stars allow the sixth-most shots to centremen, averaging 12.1 per game to the position.

In their earlier matchup this season on Hockey Night in Canada, Pettersson found the back of the net on a no-look pass from Filip Hronek. He would end that game with seven shots on goal.

On home ice, the Stars allow the fifth most powerplay opportunities, averaging 3.8 against per game. The Canuck sniper is second on the team in powerplay shots on goal, only trailing the league's second-highest goal scorer, Brock Boeser.

Best Bet Summary:

Vancouver Canucks Money Line (+125) for 1 unit.

Elias Pettersson Over 2.5 Shots On Goal (-140) for 1 unit.

Last Game Recap: 0-2. -2.5 units.

Filip Forsberg finished one shy, with three shots on six attempts.

Ryan McDonagh finished with more shots than blocks. Defensive partner Roman Josi had two blocks in the first period.

All-Time Record: 24-22. -0.42 units.