The Florida Panthers won the first of two road games against the Dallas Stars, scoring just 28 seconds into the game and never relinquishing their lead en route to a 6-4 victory.

Many Finnish players were at the forefront in their home country, with Aleksander Barkov (four points), Anton Lundell (one goal) and Esa Lindell (two points, three shots) making a significant offensive impact.

My Stars vs. Panthers predictions see another Finn shine on Saturday, with Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen getting more involved. Let’s take a closer look at my NHL Pick for November 2.

Stars vs Panthers Prediction

My best bet
Miro Heiskanen Over 2.5 shots (+142 at FanDuel)

My analysis

Miro Heiskanen traverses peaks and valleys with its volume of fire. Generally, the Dallas Stars the defender needs a solid game to reach his ceiling. The good news is he has one against the Florida Panthers.

Although the Panthers are stingy when it comes to shot prevention as a whole, they give up an awful lot on the perimeter. This leads to a very high volume of shots for opposing defenders. In fact, no team has given up more shots per game at the position than the Panthers.

Heiskanen generated two shots in five attempts in Game 1 of the mini-series against the Panthers. What it doesn’t show is that he also had a few deflected shots up front that counted for the others. The opportunities were there.

While the Stars were considered the “home” team in the first game, head coach Pete DeBoer was able to use the latest change to his advantage and give Heiskanen plenty of ice time against Alexander Barkov, Sam Reinhartand the first line of Florida.

He won’t have as much luxury in the second game, which means Heiskanen probably won’t play as much against Florida’s best players.

Easier minutes seem to benefit Heiskanen in his efforts to generate shots. He’s attempted 6.1 shots per game over his last 20 road games, which is a notable difference from the 5.4 he produced over the same span at home.

It should also be noted that after this competition, the Stars are off until Thursday. Given that there is a long gap between games, Dallas has no reason to feel the need to preserve Heiskanen.

After dropping Game 1, I expect Heiskanen to get a healthy dose of ice as the Stars look to split the International Series and avoid a long flight home empty-handed.

Look for it to get the most out of it.

Parlay in same match Stars vs Panthers (SGP)

Miro Heiskanen Over 2.5 shots

Carter Verghaeghe Over 2.5 shots

Less than 6.5

Carter Verhaeghe is a remarkably consistent shooter. He has recorded at least three shots in 10 of 12 games this season, including seven straight games.

He did his best at home, recording 4.5 shots per game on nine shot attempts. Those are much better marks than what he got on the road (3.9 shots, 6.5 attempts).

I expect a lower-scoring, closer matchup in the back-to-back second leg. When the Devils and Sabers opened the season in Czechia and played two games in 21 hours, we saw a sharp drop in chance generation between the two games. The two teams combined for 63 scoring chances in the first leg and just 48 in the second leg. There was also a good drop in expected targets.

Spencer Knight and Casey DeSmith have saved more goals than expected in their first appearances this season. They are quite capable of keeping offensive performances off the ceiling – especially if fatigue sets in and fewer opportunities present themselves.

Learn how to bet on the same game with these helpful tips and strategies.

Stars vs. Panthers Odds

Stars vs Panthers live odds

Stars vs Panthers opening odds

• Puck line: Dallas +1.5 (-265) | Florida -1.5 (+210)
• Money line: Dallas-102 | Florida -118
• More/Less: Over 6.45 (+108) | Under 6.5 (-132)

Stars vs Panthers trend

Verhaeghe has 3+ shots in six of his last seven games. Find more NHL Betting Trends for Stars vs. Panthers.

How to watch Stars vs. Panthers

Latest Stars vs Panthers injuries

Pages related to this topic