The New York Rangers have been one of the NHL’s biggest stories over the last month. First, they swap their captain, Jacob Trouba. Most recently, they gave up their former second overall win from 2019 with Kaapo Kakko. The Rangers have lost their identity and it shows in their record of 3-11-0 in their last 14 games.

Tonight the Rangers face a Dallas Stars team that is coming off a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dallas is looking to get back on the winning list and the Rangers could be the perfect opponent to do so, according to my Rangers vs. Stars predictions and NHL picks for Friday, December 20th.

Rangers vs Stars prediction

My best choice
Stars Winning in the Regular Season (-120 on FanDuel)

My analysis

The Dallas Stars have had a pretty interesting season. They are considered one of the elite Stanley Cup contenders, but are currently in third place in the Central Division.

Most of Dallas’ success this season has come on home ice, where they have a record of 13-4-0. Over the last 10 games, the Stars have averaged just 2.90 goals per game. But when it comes to playing at home, they were much better, scoring 3.47 goals per game.

Jamie Benn and Jason Robertson have been the Stars’ scoring leaders of late with nine and eight points, respectively. But the two have only scored two goals each in that span, so the Stars need more goals from their top players.

Luckily for Dallas, the New York Rangers offense had even more problems than theirs. New York has only scored seven goals in their last five games, but to make things a little easier for them, they are missing their best offensive player in the last two games: Artemi Panarin. The Rangers are coming off a game against the Nashville Predators in which they had 25 shots on goal but were shut out by Juuse Saros.

There isn’t much positive to say about the Rangers. That 14-game stretch was tough, but the last five games were a complete disaster. They’ve only scored one power play goal in 11 attempts and can’t get anything going. Adam Fox leads the team in points with a goal and two assists over the last five games as this forward group has been shut down.

Things don’t get any easier for the Rangers forwards tonight as they face Jake Oettinger, who is 16-8-0 this season with a .909 save percentage and 2.43 goals against average.

Oettinger gets some help from the group in front of him, as the Stars only allow 10.2 dangerous chances at 5-on-5 and allow 26.6 shots against per game (fifth best in the NHL), but Oettinger can also come up with one +3.4 goals saved above expectations. Oettinger was substituted in his last game but is expected to start tonight. He should be highly motivated.

Rangers vs. Stars – Same Game Parlay (SGP)

Stars to be won in regular playing time

Jason Robertson 3+ shots on goal

Below 5.5

Robertson hasn’t had the best start to this season with just seven goals in 31 games, but he has started to improve his game recently. Robertson has averaged 2.99 shots per game over his career, but this season he is averaging 2.33 shots on net each game.

So why would he have more than 3 shots on goal here? The Rangers have allowed the most counter-throws in the NHL in the last 14 games (32.1) per game. Robertson should get a few looks at the net tonight.

Oettinger will most likely face Igor Shesterkin tonight, making for a good goaltending showdown. Oettinger conceded four goals on twelve shots in his last appearance, but that was a very uncharacteristic performance. In his four starts prior to this game, Oettinger had posted a .929 save percentage and a 1.74 goals-against average.

Shesterkin isn’t to blame for how the Rangers have been playing lately. His numbers weren’t the best, but he doesn’t get much help from the guys in front of him. He is 2-8-0 in his last 10 starts but has a .904 SV% over that span.

Learn how to place a bet in the same game with these helpful tips and strategies.

Rangers vs Stars odds

Live odds between Rangers and Stars

Rangers vs Stars opening odds

• Puck line: New York +1.5 (-170) | Dallas -1.5 (+138)
• Money line: New York +158 | Dallas-192
• Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-128) | Below 5.5 (+104)

Rangers vs Stars trend.

The Rangers have lost 11 of their last 14 regular season games. Find more NHL betting trends for Rangers vs. Stars.

How to watch Rangers vs Stars

Rangers vs. Stars recent injuries

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