Pinnacle -½ +196 Bet365 -½ +225 SportsInteraction -½ +175 5DIMES -½ +200 888Sport -½ +196

Posted at 1:35 PM EST.  

Dallas -½ +210 over PITTSBURGH

7:05 PM EST. Regulation only. All the credit in the world goes out to the Penguins, who have won four in a row and five of its last six. What makes that so impressive is that they have done it without Bryan Rust, Nick Bjugstad, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Galchenyuk. Those are four key contributors and the Pens haven’t missed a beat. Still, one has to question how long the Pens can keep winning at this pace with so many key injuries and a very average defense. We’ll put that to the test here with this year’s unluckiest team so far.

Dallas has played eight games and has one win. The hole it is digging is getting bigger by the day but perhaps this is where the turnaround begins. How do you know when you can’t catch a break? Is it when you drop three consecutive one-goal games to start the season? Is it when your big guns finally will the team to a win only for the club to then go on another three-game losing skid? Is it when, faced with the prospect of dropping seven of your first eight games, a jaw-dropping, already-goal-of-the-year-contending, between-the-legs game-winner sends you to a fourth straight defeat and a place in the NHL’s basement? All of the above describes the Dallas Stars.

The expectation, of course, was that Dallas would enter this season and establish itself early as a threat in the Central Division and a contender in the Western Conference. This is a Stars team that earned a wild-card berth and came within one goal of a trip to the conference final last season. This is also a Dallas franchise that went out and had itself an A-plus summer, bringing in former San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski, veteran defender Andrej Sekera and a feisty Corey Perry, who was bought out by the Ducks and came to the Stars with a Texas-sized chip on his shoulder. Add to the new faces a one-year-older, one-year-wiser Miro Heiskanen and Roope Hintz surrounding the established centerpieces and there was every reason to believe Dallas was going to hit the ground running. Instead, they’ve landed with a splat. With a stingy defense and plenty of runway time left, it’s time to buy low on the Stars because some wins are forthcoming.

----------------------------------------------------

A cheaper and better alternative to CABLE

TV Programming

A GREAT OFFER FOR SPORTSWAGERS READERS:

We’re offering a better and cheaper alternative to cable TV. You will literally save thousands of dollars. If you’re sick of paying a fortune for programming that you don’t even want or need, this is for you. All pro sports -- EVERY GAME, tons of college football and basketball games and tons of regular programming (non-sports). Over 2500 channels all in HD for a mere $20 per month. You have to be nuts not to get it.

Get all the details here