Stars vs Blackhawks

With Dallas riding a three-game losing streak but still sitting second in the Central and boasting a 13-2-5 road mark, the talent gap against a Chicago team that’s 1-7-1 in its last nine and undermanned down the middle is hard to ignore at this moneyline price of -190. The current ESPN rosters confirm the Stars can still roll out a deep spine of Robertson, Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston even with Tyler Seguin, Lian Bichsel, Matt Duchene and Adam Erne sidelined long term, while Chicago’s sheet shows Bedard and Nazar as key pieces who remain out or on IR, forcing heavier minutes on Jason Dickinson, Ryan Donato and Teuvo Teravainen. The recent 4-3 shootout loss in Dallas, where Tyler Bertuzzi struck twice but Rantanen and Johnston drove play for the Stars, highlighted how often Dallas can tilt the ice even in defeat, and over the larger sample their 3.4 goals per game and stronger blue line still project better than Chicago’s thin, injury-hit offense and reliance on Spencer Knight. I’m backing the superior depth, road form and overall scoring profile and taking Dallas on the moneyline at -190 with a solid but not elite Grade B, acknowledging the price is a bit rich on a road favorite coming off a skid. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 01/01/2026 09:41

The total of 5.5 is tricky because Chicago’s attack is clearly diminished without Bedard and Nazar, yet Dallas comes in averaging 3.4 goals per game, ranking near the top of the league in scoring, and has already traded chances in a 4-3 shootout against these same Blackhawks where both offenses generated enough looks to get past the opposing goaltenders. In their last ten games, the Stars have been playing to around 3.5 goals for and 2.8 against, and their road profile plus a still-thin Chicago defense that just surrendered crooked numbers to teams like Pittsburgh suggests another game where Dallas can push three or four on its own, particularly with Robertson, Hintz, Rantanen and Johnston driving a top-heavy but potent attack. On the other side, even without Bedard, Chicago has recently gotten big nights from Bertuzzi, Donato and Teravainen, and showed in the last meeting that they can exploit Dallas mistakes enough to chip in a couple, especially if the Stars continue their sloppy run during this losing streak and leave Spencer Knight facing odd-man rushes and net-front chaos. I lean Over 5.5 at -125, grading it a B- because the juice is heavy and Chicago’s missing star power adds some volatility, but the combination of Dallas’ elite scoring pace, Chicago’s recent defensive leaks and the evidence from the first matchup nudges this toward a six-goal or higher script more often than not. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 01/01/2026 09:41

The puckline is where things get much shakier, even with Chicago’s current freefall and injury list, because the recent head-to-head ended 4-3 in a shootout and highlighted the Blackhawks’ knack for hanging around games despite being outgunned. Dallas has the kind of lineup that frequently turns wins into multi-goal results—thanks to a deep forward group plus a blue line led by Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley—but they’re still on a three-game skid and just watched a shorthanded Chicago group, keyed by Bertuzzi’s two goals and solid work from support pieces like Jason Dickinson and Alex Vlasic, claw back and beat them when they couldn’t close. The Blackhawks’ 7-8-4 home record and 1-7-1 recent stretch without Bedard and Nazar suggest they’re more likely to fade late if the Stars get out in front, and Dallas’ 13-2-5 road mark plus superior special teams give them multiple avenues to stretch any third-period lead. Still, laying -1.5 at 140 requires a comfortable win from a favorite that hasn’t been finishing teams lately, so I’m on Stars -1.5 at 140 but only with a speculative Grade C+, seeing some upside if Dallas finally converts its territorial edge into a multi-goal bounce-back while recognizing that Chicago’s ability to keep games tight has burned backers already. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 01/01/2026 09:41