The Anaheim Ducks may still lead the NHL in points, but the team is just glad to have gotten out of a five-game losing streak without taking any damage in the Western Conference standings. The Ducks control the Pacific Division by two points and lead the Chicago Blackhawks by one point for the conference’s top spot. The team is now on a two-game winning streak as they head into a road-heavy portion of their schedule over the next two weeks. Anaheim will play four of their next six games away from the Honda Center and hope to continue to earn points now that they have gotten that five-game slump out of the way.

The Dallas Stars might be in the middle of a slump of their own, having lost their last two matchups and allowing their opponents to score nine goals on 78 shot attempts. However, the team will be playing their next three games at home, which is usually the cure to stop a tough stretch in any team’s schedule. The Stars have the difficult task of playing the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night, and afterward will play the Chicago Blackhawks three times during a 12-day span. Let’s take an in-depth look at the Ducks versus Stars matchup and give some predictions and analysis.

Ducks at Stars Betting Story Lines

The Ducks have been a decent road squad and have earned 18 points in 16 matchups away from the Honda Center. The team is coming off of a huge road win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday and was able to score four goals on only 27 shot attempts. Dustin Penner managed to score twice against the Coyotes while goaltender Jonas Hiller allowed only two goals on a whopping 44 shot attempts. The Ducks do not usually give up a high volume of shots and only allow an average of 28 per game. The team is currently ranked sixth in goals scored per game with an average of three, and they are ranked 13th in goals allowed with 2.4.

The Stars have lost their last two games after winning three in a row and are coming off of an embarrassing five-goal blowout loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. Dallas managed to take 35 shots during the game, but they were not able to produce any meaningful offense beyond a first-period goal early in the matchup. The Stars have not lost more than two games in a row all season, and even though they are only sitting on 24 points, they make it a habit not to get into extended slumps. The team has had only three two-game losing streaks all season, but it has spent a good portion of its schedule alternating between wins and losses.

Ducks at Stars NHL Betting Odds and Key Trends

Dallas opened as a -110 moneyline favorite over the even money Ducks, according to BetOnline. The total was set a 5.5 goals, with the “under” being favored at -127. The Ducks are an impressive 8-0 during their last eight matchups against the Western Conference and 13-3 during their last 16 games following a win. The team has also won five of their last six games when playing on two days of rest. However, Anaheim has a 1-4 record during their last five road games.

Dallas is 4-0 over their last four against the Pacific Division, but 0-4 during their last four home games. Head-to-head, the under is 5-0 during the last five meetings in Dallas, while the Ducks are 4-1 during the last five matchups between the two teams.

Free NHL Picks: Ducks at Stars Predictions

Anaheim is not great on the road, but they are still one of the best team’s in the entire NHL, and the chance to get them at even money against a mediocre Stars team might be too go to pass up. The line might even move into a positive payout territory for the Ducks. The team knows that they need to start winning on the road, and getting a win Tuesday night against the Stars is a good place to start.. Anaheim may be a small underdog, but I like taking a shot on the Ducks to get a big road victory. 

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Read more articles by George Monroy