Bruins vs Stars

The Bruins roll into Dallas on a five-game winning streak while the Stars have dropped four of their last five and are just 2-10 over their last 12, setting up a classic “hot road dog vs slumping home favorite” moneyline spot. With Boston’s only notable absences on the blue line being depth pieces Henri Jokiharju on injured reserve and Andrew Peeke day-to-day, the Bruins’ core of David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman is intact, whereas Dallas is still without Tyler Seguin after his ACL tear, forcing more workload onto Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen up front. Even so, Oettinger’s career 2.30 GAA and .920 save percentage against Boston, combined with Dallas’ overall defensive profile and home-ice edge at American Airlines Center, slightly tilts this matchup back toward the Stars despite Boston’s current heater and the midseason playoff stakes for a Stars team sitting third in the Central and a Bruins group trying to solidify its Atlantic position. Pastrnak’s 8 goals and 10 assists in 19 career games against Dallas underline how dangerous Boston’s top line is here, but with Dallas still the deeper roster at full strength on the back end and the market already baking in their recent swoon, I’m comfortable backing the Stars at -167, though the price and form risk keep this to a solid but not elite B-grade recommendation. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/01/2026 09:35([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/roster/_/name/bos/boston-bruins))

Despite both teams ranking near the top of the league in goals scored and combining to average roughly 6.6 goals per game, Dallas’ recent form and the matchup-specific goaltending profile point me toward the Under 6 at -118. The Stars have seen the total stay Under in five of their last six, and their offense has cooled significantly during this 1-4 skid, while Boston’s current win streak has been driven more by structure and goaltending than run-and-gun hockey as they grind out crucial midseason points. Historically, Jake Oettinger has handled the Bruins well (2.30 GAA, .920 save percentage), and recent Bruins–Stars meetings have often landed in tight 3-2 or 3-1 ranges, with Pastrnak and Robertson doing damage but not turning these into track meets. With both sides eyeing playoff positioning around the halfway mark, a disciplined, lower-event game script in Dallas makes a 3-2 or 4-2 final very realistic, giving us a live shot to cash the Under 6 with the safety of a push on exactly six goals and enough value for a B+ grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/01/2026 09:35([foxsports.com](https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nhl/stars-vs-bruins-prediction-odds-picks-jan-20?utm_source=openai))

Given that Boston has covered in five straight and is 17-8 against the number in its last 25 road games, while Dallas is just 3-9 against the spread over its last 12 and mired in a 2-10 overall slump, the Bruins +1.5 at -167 stands out as the best way to attack this matchup. The Stars may still be the likelier outright winner at home, but with Seguin sidelined and Dallas leaning heavily on Robertson, Hintz and Rantanen to generate offense, their margin for multi-goal wins is thinner than usual, especially against a Bruins side riding strong play from Pastrnak, a deep center group, and the McAvoy–Lindholm-led blue line. Recent head-to-heads between these clubs have typically been one-goal, goaltender-driven games, and with both teams at roughly the halfway point of the season and battling for divisional and wild-card leverage, the incentive to lock things down in the third period further favors a tight scoreline rather than a blowout. Factoring in Boston’s current momentum, Dallas’ ATS struggles, and the relative health of both rosters beyond Boston’s depth injuries on defense, I’m grading Bruins +1.5 (-167) as an A- pick: highly likely to cash, though the heavy juice keeps it just shy of an A. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/01/2026 09:35([sportsinsider.com](https://www.sportsinsider.com/nhl/odds/2474544-bos-vs-dal?utm_source=openai))