The Panthers maintained their recent high-scoring ways with a decisive 5-2 win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, and have now posted victories in six of seven outings. The Stars travel to Florida on the heels of Wednesday’s 5-2 home win over Seattle, but are winless in six straight road dates.

There has been no shortage of line movement since the Stars opened as +160 underdogs. The line experienced wild fluctuations in early betting before tilting in Florida’s favour. Dallas now sits as a diminished +171 underdog, while the Panthers have vaulted to -205 favourites, backed by 93% of sports bettors. Conversely, the total has remained steady at 6.5, with the UNDER now pegged as a slight -115 favourite.

Stars vs. Panthers NHL Betting Odds

Friday night’s matchup at FLA Live Arena marks the second and final scheduled meeting of the season between these two teams. The Panthers dropped a 6-5 shootout decision when they visited Dallas eight days ago, but have avoided consecutive losses while going 7-2-1 over their past 10 head-to-head clashes. These teams faced each other eight times last season. Total goals topped 5.0 just once through their first seven dates last season. However, the OVER has easily prevailed in their two most recent clashes.

High scoring has also been commonplace during the Panthers’ current overall surge. Florida shooters have averaged 5.43 goals per game during its 6-0-1 run, fueling a steady 8-1-0 run for the OVER. The Panthers have also been the most dominant home team in the league this season, piling up a sparkling 19-2-0 record. The Stars have filled the net during their current 5-1-0 run, potting 4.33 goals per game over that stretch. However, Dallas tops only the Montreal Canadiens with a dismal 4-10-1 away record, and has been limited to one or fewer goals on three occasions during their current four-game road slide.

Dallas Stars

The Stars have maintained their recent winning ways despite enduring a 16-day pause over the holidays and a continued battle with COVID-19. On Thursday, goaltender Jonas Johansson became the latest player to enter COVID protocol. However, Mason Marchment, Patric Hornqvist, and Spencer Knight all return to practice this week after spending time in protocol. Recent disruptions have not slowed down Joe Pavelski. The veteran forward is coming off a five-point performance in Wednesday’s win over Seattle, and has tallied six goals and seven assists over his past seven outings.

Florida Panthers

The spotlight has been fixed on the Panthers’ recent impressive offensive production, and with good reason. Florida now ranks second in the NHL in goals scored per game and total shots on goal. Jonathan Huberdeau has led the attack, scoring four times and adding 11 helpers over his past six outings. But the stellar performance of Sergei Bobrovsky cannot be understated. The Panthers netminder has earned five of the club’s six recent wins. Bobrovsky has also stopped 89 of 93 total shots faced in his past two home appearances, capped by a 42-save performance in Tuesday win over the Canucks.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Stars vs. Panthers?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Stars Team Leaders

DAL

Points	Joe Pavelski 81
+ / -	Jason Robertson 16
Shots	Jason Robertson 220
Penalty Mins	Jamie Benn 88
Wins	Jake Oettinger 30
GAA	Jake Oettinger 2.53

FLA

Points	Jonathan Huberdeau 115
+ / -	Gustav Forsling 41
Shots	Sam Bennett 241
Penalty Mins	Radko Gudas 105
Wins	Sergei Bobrovsky 39
GAA	Sergei Bobrovsky 2.67

DAL

Points	Joe Pavelski 6
+ / -	Jason Robertson 3
Shots	Miro Heiskanen 20
Penalty Mins	John Klingberg 26
Wins	Jake Oettinger 3
GAA	Jake Oettinger 1.81

FLA

Points	Carter Verhaeghe 12
+ / -	Gustav Forsling 10
Shots	Aleksander Barkov 22
Penalty Mins	Sam Bennett 10
Wins	Sergei Bobrovsky 4
GAA	Sergei Bobrovsky 2.79

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Panthers Team Leaders

DAL

Points	Joe Pavelski 81
+ / -	Jason Robertson 16
Shots	Jason Robertson 220
Penalty Mins	Jamie Benn 88
Wins	Jake Oettinger 30
GAA	Jake Oettinger 2.53

FLA

Points	Jonathan Huberdeau 115
+ / -	Gustav Forsling 41
Shots	Sam Bennett 241
Penalty Mins	Radko Gudas 105
Wins	Sergei Bobrovsky 39
GAA	Sergei Bobrovsky 2.67

DAL

Points	Joe Pavelski 6
+ / -	Jason Robertson 3
Shots	Miro Heiskanen 20
Penalty Mins	John Klingberg 26
Wins	Jake Oettinger 3
GAA	Jake Oettinger 1.81

FLA

Points	Carter Verhaeghe 12
+ / -	Gustav Forsling 10
Shots	Aleksander Barkov 22
Penalty Mins	Sam Bennett 10
Wins	Sergei Bobrovsky 4
GAA	Sergei Bobrovsky 2.79

Injuries

Dallas

Roope Hintz (LW)

day-to-day Upper Body - 15 / 05 / 22

Tyler Seguin (C)

Prob Sun Undisclosed - 15 / 05 / 22

Luke Glendening (C)

day-to-day Lower Body - 14 / 05 / 22

John Klingberg (D)

Prob Tues Lower Body - 29 / 04 / 22

Esa Lindell (D)

Prob Wed Illness - 19 / 04 / 22

Vladislav Namestnikov (C)

Early May Lower Body - 13 / 04 / 22

Joel Kiviranta (LW)

Ques Sat Illness - 12 / 04 / 22

Alexander Radulov (RW)

Prob Thurs Illness - 12 / 04 / 22

Denis Gurianov (RW)

Ques Sun Illness - 06 / 04 / 22

Jacob Peterson (C)

Ques Sat Lower Body - 06 / 04 / 22

Florida

Aaron Ekblad (D)

Prob Thurs Undisclosed - 15 / 05 / 22

Ben Chiarot (D)

Prob Thurs Undisclosed - 15 / 05 / 22

Carter Verhaeghe (C)

Ques Fri Undisclosed - 13 / 05 / 22

Mason Marchment (LW)

Out Thurs Lower Body - 11 / 05 / 22

Mason Marchment (LW)

Prob Tues Undisclosed - 01 / 05 / 22

Aleksander Barkov (C)

Out Fri Rest - 29 / 04 / 22

Mason Marchment (LW)

Out Fri Rest - 29 / 04 / 22

MacKenzie Weegar (D)

Out Fri Rest - 29 / 04 / 22

Claude Giroux (RW)

Out Fri Rest - 29 / 04 / 22

Radko Gudas (D)

Prob Tues Lower Body - 27 / 04 / 22

Injuries

Dallas

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Roope Hintz (LW)	day-to-day	Upper Body - 15 / 05 / 22	1-0	1-0	+ -
Hintz is dealing with an upper-body issue, and it remains to be seen if he will dress for Game 1 of the Western Conference second round against the Oilers.
Tyler Seguin (C)	Prob Sun	Undisclosed - 15 / 05 / 22	1-0	1-0	+ -
Seguin is expected to face the Flames in Game 7 of the Western Conference first round despite an unspecified ailment.
Luke Glendening (C)	day-to-day	Lower Body - 14 / 05 / 22	1-1	1-1	+ -
Glendening is hindered by a lower-body injury, and it is unclear if he will be available for Game 1 of the Western Conference second round against the Oilers.
John Klingberg (D)	Prob Tues	Lower Body - 29 / 04 / 22	5-3	4-4	+ -
Klingberg is tending to a lower-body injury, but it is projected that he will be available for Game 1 of the Western Conference first round against the Flames.
Esa Lindell (D)	Prob Wed	Illness - 19 / 04 / 22	5-9	6-7-1	+ -
Lindell sat out the previous game due to an illness, but it is likely that he will face the Oilers on Wednesday.
Vladislav Namestnikov (C)	Early May	Lower Body - 13 / 04 / 22	8-9	7-9-1	+ -
Namestnikov is sidelined due to a lower-body injury, and it is anticipated that he will not return until the early part of May.
Joel Kiviranta (LW)	Ques Sat	Illness - 12 / 04 / 22	8-9	7-9-1	+ -
Kiviranta has missed the previous two contests due to a non-COVID illness, and it is up in the air if he will lace up against the Stars on Saturday.
Alexander Radulov (RW)	Prob Thurs	Illness - 12 / 04 / 22	8-9	7-9-1	+ -
Radulov sat out the last game with a non-COVID illness, but it is projected that he will dress for Thursday's showdown versus the Wild.
Denis Gurianov (RW)	Ques Sun	Illness - 06 / 04 / 22	9-12	8-12-1	+ -
Gurianov has sat out the last three contests due to a non-COVID-19 illness, and it is unclear if he will face the Blackhawks on Sunday.
Jacob Peterson (C)	Ques Sat	Lower Body - 06 / 04 / 22	9-12	8-12-1	+ -
Peterson has missed the last two games due to a lower-body injury, and it has yet to be decided if he will battle the Devils on Saturday.

Florida

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Aaron Ekblad (D)	Prob Thurs	Undisclosed - 15 / 05 / 22	0-1	1-0	+ -
Ekblad is hampered by an unknown issue, but it is anticipated that he will be active against the Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference second round.
Ben Chiarot (D)	Prob Thurs	Undisclosed - 15 / 05 / 22	0-1	1-0	+ -
Chiarot is tending to an injury to an unlisted location, but he is expected to face the Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference second round.
Carter Verhaeghe (C)	Ques Fri	Undisclosed - 13 / 05 / 22	1-1	2-0	+ -
Verhaeghe is hindered by an injury to an unlisted location, and it remains to be seen if he will face the Capitals in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Mason Marchment (LW)	Out Thurs	Lower Body - 11 / 05 / 22	1-2	2-1	+ -
Marchment is battling a lower-body issue, and he will not play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference second round versus the Lightning.
Mason Marchment (LW)	Prob Tues	Undisclosed - 01 / 05 / 22	2-5	4-3	+ -
Marchment is tending to an unspecified injury, but it is likely that he will face the Capitals in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Aleksander Barkov (C)	Out Fri	Rest - 29 / 04 / 22	3-5	4-4	+ -
Barkov will not battle the Canadiens on Friday, as he will receive a day of rest.
Mason Marchment (LW)	Out Fri	Rest - 29 / 04 / 22	3-5	4-4	+ -
Marchment will not battle the Canadiens on Friday, as he will receive a day of rest.
MacKenzie Weegar (D)	Out Fri	Rest - 29 / 04 / 22	3-5	4-4	+ -
Weegar will not suit up Friday versus the Canadiens, as he will be given a day of rest.
Claude Giroux (RW)	Out Fri	Rest - 29 / 04 / 22	3-5	4-4	+ -
Giroux will not battle the Canadiens on Friday, as he will receive a day of rest.
Radko Gudas (D)	Prob Tues	Lower Body - 27 / 04 / 22	3-6	4-5	+ -
Gudas is dealing with a lower-body injury, but it is projected that he will suit up for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round against the Capitals.