Dallas Stars (Moneyline) ..

Coming off consecutive wins now, the Stars are slowly closing the gap between them and the Winnipeg Jets. Dallas is my top contender as of right now in the West and I believe it has a real shot at winning it all this year. The Stars have great goaltending, especially Oettinger, but even with Smith in (who's expected tonight.) The Stars beat the Devils in the only matchup this season, 4-2.

New Jersey is playing very inconsistent hockey right now. Vegas won against the Devils on Sunday (2-0) and the Devils haven't scored more than three goals in a very long time (since before the 4 nations.) With how dominant Dallas has been this season, I expect them to continue winning here at home this evening.

Score Prediction: 5-2 Stars.