NHL Odds: Bruins Look To Continue Winning Ways As Favorite Vs. Stars
The Boston Bruins will look to close out March with a third straight victory when they host the Dallas Stars on Thursday as -225 home betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston is coming off a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators as -170 home chalk Tuesday to move three points up on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference wild-card race going into Thursday night?s Stars vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden.
With the win, the Bruins remain just one point back of the third-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division standings, although the Maple Leafs maintain one game in hand.
Consecutive wins could not have come at a better time for the Bruins after losing their previous four games in regulation. Boston surrendered 20 total goals in those four defeats, despite outshooting opponents in three of those contests.
But Bruins netminders Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin effectively have shut down opponents in their past two outings, allowing just a single goal in each, which has contributed to a 3-1 run for the under for totals bettors.
The Stars travel to Boston for the first time since November 2015 following Tuesday?s 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens as +164 underdogs, which sinks their 28th-ranked road record to a dismal 11-22-5.
Overall, though, Dallas has produced a respectable 4-2-1 record in its past seven games, surrendering just 14 total goals during that stretch, and has seen the under prevail in each of its past four on the road.
The Stars? road losses have come in bunches, with the team avoiding consecutive road defeats just twice this season. Dallas has posted wins in three straight visits to TD Garden, but also has been outscored by a 13-6 margin over two recent home losses to the Bruins, including a 6-3 defeat as +134 home underdogs on Feb. 26.
Following Thursday?s date with the Stars, the Bruins continue a hectic stretch of three games in four days with a visit from the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon before traveling to Chicago for a Sunday matinee against the Blackhawks.
The Panthers are winless on their current three-game road trip, and 1-5-1 in their past seven road contests. Florida also is winless in its past four matchups against Boston, and has topped the Bruins just five times in 28 meetings since the fall of 2010.
Conversely, the Western-leading Blackhawks have won seven of nine on home ice, and emerged victorious in seven of their past 10 against the Bruins, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
