The Utah Hockey Club (17-15-6) travel to face off against the Dallas Stars (23-13-1) on Saturday, January 4th. This game will be played at American Airlines Center in Dallas and televised on ESPN+. Both the Hockey Club and Stars will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 ET.

Hockey Club vs Stars

The Utah Hockey Club Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

After a 4-3 loss to the Golden Knights, Utah’s record now stands at 17-15-6. The game’s total of 7 goals surpassed the pre-game line of 6.5, and Utah, as the underdog, failed to cover the puck line.

Utah led 2-0 before Vegas scored four unanswered goals. Logan Cooley scored the first goal for Utah at 11:52 in the first period.

The Dallas Stars Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Following a 4-2 loss to the Panthers, the Stars now sit at 23-13-1. Dallas, the underdog on the puck line, failed to cover. The total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 6 fell just short.

After falling behind 2-0, the Stars tied it up with two goals in the second period. However, the Panthers pulled away with two more goals, including an empty-netter in the third. Evgenii Dadonov and Matt Duchene each scored for Dallas in the loss.

Utah Offense Breakdown

Utah Hockey Club took 19 shots on goal and scored three times in their 4-3 loss to Vegas. Alexander Kerfoot netted his second goal of the season, while Ian Cole scored his first. Logan Cooley added his second goal of the year.

Nick Bjugstad picked up two assists, bringing his season total to two. Jack McBain recorded his third assist, and Clayton Keller now has six assists on the year. Maveric Lamoureux earned his first assist of the season.

Stars Offense Breakdown

In their recent matchup against the Panthers, the Stars fired 25 shots on goal but only found the net twice. Evgenii Dadonov scored his second goal of the season, while Matt Duchene added his seventh. Duchene also picked up his eighth assist on Dadonov’s power-play goal.

Dallas was held scoreless in the first period before netting two goals in the second, with Miro Heiskanen earning his fourth assist of the season and Thomas Harley picking up his fifth. The Stars ended the game with 32 giveaways.

Utah Team Defense

Utah’s defense will look to bounce back after allowing four goals to the Golden Knights, including three straight after taking a 2-0 lead. The final blow came in overtime, just 2:15 into the extra period. Goalie Connor Ingram made 31 saves with a save percentage of 88.6%, while the defense added 8 takeaways and 21 hits.

Dallas Team Defense

Defensively, the Stars gave up the first goal of the game at 5:15 in the first period and allowed another at 8:47 in the second. After tying the game at 2-2, they conceded two more, including one just 2:32 into the third period and an empty-netter with 1:00 remaining. Goalie Casey DeSmith made 21 saves with a save percentage of 87.5%. The Stars’ defense also recorded 5 takeaways and 26 hits.

Hockey Club vs Stars Trends

• In their last three games away from home, the Hockey Club have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs. the spread. The team averaged 2 goals per game in this stretch.
• In their last three home games, Dallas has averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 2. The team’s record in this stretch was 2-1 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.
• Looking back on the team’s last five games as the underdog, the Stars have a straight up record of 1-4. Their record vs the puck line in these games was 1-4.
• The last three games that Utah was favored, they have an puck line mark of 1-2 while going 1-2 straight up.

Hockey Club vs Stars Prediction

When thinking about a moneyline wager in this game, our evaluation indicates that the Stars will take down the Hockey Club. Nonetheless, given the current odds of -191, I’d recommend getting bet down on the puck line instead, as our predictions point to the Stars winning by more than one goal.

For a puck line prediction, our preference is the Stars to secure a win and cover. Anticipate the Stars to win this one by multiple goals over the Hockey Club.

With an over/under line sitting at 6 goals, we like this game to surpass that mark and recommend getting a bet down on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.