Both Teams Bidding for Third Straight Win
Dylan Cozens is quietly enjoying his best season for the resurgent Buffalo Sabres, who travel to Dallas on Monday to take on the Central Division-leading Stars.
Overshadowed by the hysteria surrounding the goal-scoring prowess of teammate Tage Thompson, Cozens has surpassed his point total from last season in 35 fewer games.
The second-line center is one pace for 30 goals and 76 points. He has registered 34 points in his last 32 games for the Sabres, who are four points out of a wild card spot.
“I think it’s just natural growth” Buffalo coach Don Granato told the media of Cozens, who is in his third season after being the No. 7 overall pick in 2019. “When you compete and work hard and have the talent and skill that he has, you just keep getting better“.
The Stars hit a rough patch with five losses in eight games, including allowing 11 goals in losses to the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames, but are back in the driver’s seat in the Central Division thanks to three 4-0 shutouts against the Vegas, Los Angeles and Arizona.
Jake Oettinger posted two of the shutouts, giving him six for his career, and Scott Wedgewood had the other for the Stars, who are second in goals allowed.
“Jake is playing amazing” teammate Radek Faksa told the media. “He’s one of the best goalies in the league. He’s so hot now, it’s even hard to score on him in practice.”
Let’s check the latest NHL news, stats, injury reports, and NHL lines for Sabres vs Stars. We’ve got plenty of NHL picks for you to consider.
Oloffson on Tear
Victor Olofsson has a team-high eight goals in January to bring his tally to a career-high 21 goals in 45 games for the Sabres, who had 13 wins at this point last season.
The 27-year-old former seventh-round draft pick scored two third-period goals Saturday, including his fourth game-winning goal, to match Thompson with six multi-goal games.
“I feel like these last 10 games we’ve been really clicking as a line with Mittsy (Casey Mittelstadt) and Josty (Tyson Jost)”, Olofsson, the right wing on the third line, told the media. “We’re just feeding off each other and they are feeding me with great passes.”
Olofsson will need to step it up on the road as 16 of his 21 goals have come at home.
Heiskanen piling up helpers
Defenseman Miro Heiskanen is helping to drive the Stars’ goal production with 32 assists, second on the team to forward Jason Robertson, and 16 power-play assists.
The former first-round pick is playing more than 25 minutes per game, which is the most on the team by nearly five minutes and the seventh most among NHL defensemen.
Heiskanen, a 23-year-old from Finland, has points in five straight games. He is one of four Dallas defensemen positive on-ice even strength goal differential of 12 or better along with Esa Lindell (23), Colin Miller (19) and Jani Hakanpaa (14).
Sabres vs Stars Game Injuries
Sabres vs Stars Head-to-Head
The Stars have claimed seven of the last nine and 10 of the last 13 meetings from the Sabres, including eight of the last nine at home by a 29-15 goal count.
Dallas owns a 26-19-1 advantage in the series since moving to Dallas in 1993.
Sabres vs Stars Game Information
- Game: Sabres (23-19-3) vs Stars (28-13-7)
- Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
- Day/Time: Monday, Jan. 23, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Sabres vs Stars Live stream: NHL.TV
Sabres vs Stars Betting Lines
Sabres vs Stars Picks & Prediction
The Stars, who are favorites on the NHL lines, will play just their fourth home game in the month of January. The Sabres are 12-7-1 on the road.
Eight of the last 10 Stars’ games have finished under the total goals.
Dallas is listed at -170 in our Las Vegas NHL odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Stars, you have a chance to win $59. Buffalo is +150, offering a chance to win $150 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Dallas a 62.96% chance to win, with the Sabres 40.00%.
Sabres vs Stars Trends
Sabres vs Stars Edge
Sabres vs Stars Results
Sabres vs Stars Game Summary
