The Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars are all knotted up at 1 as they head into the third game of their best of seven series. Nashville had the home-ice advantage to begin this series but gave that up to the Stars with a game one loss. There have been just eight total goals scored through the first two games of this series, and expect that to continue as the series goes on.
Nashville won the Central Division this season with 100 points in the regular season, and they were a popular pick to win the Western Conference. The Predators are tough to score on this season, but they have also struggled to score goals. Dallas snuck into the postseason as a Wild Card team but did register 93 points during the regular season. The Dallas Stars are -125 over the Nashville Predators in game three of the series.
Dallas Looking For Offense
The Dallas Stars have had a terrific season despite not having a very high powered offense this season. The Stars are averaging just 2.55 goals per game this season, and that hasn’t improved much in their first two postseason games. Tyler Seguin led the team with 33 goals, 47 goals, and 80 points during the regular season, and needs to get going in the postseason. The Stars do have a ton of veteran players who are capable of stepping up in this game.
Dallas has been great at shutting down opponents all season long, and so far that has worked against the Predators. The Stars allowed just 2.44 goals per game during the regular season, and that formula worked well during the two games played in Nashville. Veteran goaltender Ben Bishop has allowed just four goals so far and is capable of carrying his team to a 2-1 series lead.
Predators Need To Improve On Power Play
If the Nashville Predators are going to advance to the second round of the NHL Playoffs, then they are going to have to improve on the power play. The Predators scored on just 13 percent of their power play chances during the regular season, which was the worst mark in the entire league. Nashville allowed just 2.59 goals per game, but they are going to have to start taking advantage of their chances with the man advantage.
Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson were the stars for the Predators during the regular season, but they haven’t shown up yet in the playoffs. Johansen leads the team with 50 assists and 64 points but has yet to generate offense so far. Arvidsson had 34 goals during the regular season but has yet to light the lamp in the postseason. This has been a bad start for the Predators so far, and they need their stars to step it up.
Stars Take Series Lead
Nashville looked like a title contender to begin the playoffs, but they have not gotten off to a good start. Dallas was able to take one of the first two games in Nashville, and they are going to take a series lead in this game. The Predators just don’t score enough goals, and they are going to fall behind in the series. Bet the Dallas Stars -125 over the Nashville Predators to win game three of this series.
