The Dallas Stars have not been receiving any help from the NHL schedule-makers over the last two weeks of the season. Dallas is currently in the middle of a seven-game stretch where they play six of those matchups on the road. However, that is not the difficult part of the Stars’ schedule. In addition to those road games, the team was forced to play an extremely difficult four-game set against the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks—all playoff teams if the postseason started today. Dallas performed surprisingly well during that span and ended up winning three of the four matchups.

The Calgary Flames are also coming off of a difficult block in their schedule, and they have not faced a team with less than 24 points on the season since the beginning of the month. Calgary has lost six of their last seven games and has fallen to the bottom of the Western Conference with nearly a fourth of the season already complete. The team only leads the Edmonton Oilers by five points for last place in the Pacific Division. Let’s take a closer look at Thursday’s Stars versus Flames matchup and figure out which side of the game has the most value to wager on.

Stars at Flames Betting Story Lines

Calgary is in a heavy slump to start the month of November. The team has been outscored 21-12 over a six-game span and is currently on a four-game losing streak. During the Flames last outing against the San Jose Sharks, they were outshot 35-13. Calgary does not usually have a huge discrepancy in shot attempts and allows their opponents to take 29.9 attempts while taking 28.4 attempts themselves. However, during the team’s recent losing streak, Calgary has only managed to average 22 attempts per game while giving up 15 goals during those matchups. Playing four of their last five games on the road probably has a lot to do with the team’s lack of offensive production as of late. The Flames will get a bit of a travel break starting with their matchup against Dallas, and they will play five of their next six games at home.

The Stars have won three of their last four games against a tough lineup of opponents. Dallas is coming off of a home loss to the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. The Stars took 33 shot attempts but only managed to score two goals during the entire game, and they also failed to score on any of their six power play attempts. The team has one of the weaker offenses in the league and averages only 2.5 goals per game while giving up three goals to their opponents.

Betting-wise, both teams have performed decently against the puckline. The Stars have a 9-8 record and are only losing bettors $160 on the puckline, which, when compared to other teams that are losing closer to $1,000 on the puckline, isn’t that bad. The Flames have an 11-7 puckline record and have won bettors $116 on the season. Neither team is making a profit on the moneyline, but the Stars have performed significantly better and have only lost $60 on the season, while the Flames have lost $280.

Stars at Flames NHL Betting Odds and Key Trends

Dallas opened at a -116 road moneyline favorite over the +105 underdog Flames, according to BetOnline. The total was set at 5.5 goals, with “over” being favored at -131. The Stars are 4-1 during their last five road games and are 5-2 during their last seven Thursday games. However, the team is only 1-5 against the Western Conference over their last six matchups this season. Dallas’ over has hit in three of their last four matchups and is 4-0 during their last four Thursday games.

Calgary is 2-12 during their last 14 matchups against Western Conference opponents. The team is also 0-4 during their last four overall games and is 0-6 during their last six Thursday games. The over has hit in eight of the Flames last 14 Thursday games and in seven of their last 10 overall games.

Head-to-head, the over is 4-0-1 during the last five meetings between the teams in Calgary. The over has hit in eight of the last 11 games, and the home team is 5-1 during the last six matchups. The Stars are also 1-4 over the last five games in Calgary.

Free NHL Picks: Stars at Flames Predictions

The Flames may be on a four-game losing streak, but the team has been relatively competitive during that span, and playing at home should do wonders for a team that became fatigued by play on the road. Calgary nearly won their last matchup against a very good San Jose squad and will be looking to get their first win in nearly two weeks. Home underdogs always have excellent value to wager on, especially when they are facing a slightly above .500 team like the Dallas Stars. Take Calgary on the moneyline.

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Read more articles by George Monroy