Dallas vs Columbus Prediction 2 February 2025

🔊 Whose winning streak will end first? Dallas has gained excellent momentum. The Texas club is already fourth in the West and continues to secure one victory after another. Potentially, the home team could soon find themselves second in the standings. Columbus, on the other hand, is making a similar journey in the East. The team from Ohio remains in the playoff zone and clearly has no intention of leaving it.

📊 Head-to-Head

Last season, the opponents met twice, and the "Stars" left their opponents no chance, coming out on top in both cases (5:3, 5:2). The current home team immediately took the initiative, gained a key advantage, and led the matches to victory. The most productive player in those encounters was Dallas forward Tyler Seguin. The Canadian recorded a goal and two assists. Currently, the player is not participating in matches due to injury.

🟢 Dallas

Peter DeBoer's team has picked up impressive form after a series of setbacks in mid-January. In the last six matches, the "Stars" have secured five victories, with only a slip-up against the "hot" Carolina (1:2). The team managed a significant tournament leap, and now they are just one point away from second place with a game in hand. Catching up with Winnipeg is unlikely, but securing home-ice advantage in the first round is quite an achievable goal. The absence of Miro Heiskanen and Tyler Seguin due to injuries has not yet affected the home team's effectiveness.

🔵 Columbus

The "Jackets" continue to surprise. A team traditionally considered underdogs is confidently holding onto a playoff spot and is literally "scraping" points thanks to their fighting spirit. In the last five games, Dean Evason's team managed to come out on top four times with only one loss. During that loss, the "Hurricanes" left them no chance (4:7). But even at this pace of point accumulation, the visitors have not secured a spot in the top eight of the East. The competition is so tight that one or two slip-ups could quickly push the club out of the top-8.

📌 Projected Lineups

Dallas: Oettinger - Harley, Heiskanen - Robertson, Johnston, Dadonov

Columbus: Tarasov - Fabbro, Werenski - Marchenko, Fantilli, Voronkov

🥅 Goalies

Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger hasn't been impressive lately. The American failed to save more than 90% of shots on his goal in three consecutive games, so the team won not because of his actions but rather despite them. Nonetheless, after 38 games played, the goaltender's statistics remain promising (91.1% SV and GAA 2.32). We're likely witnessing a temporary slump.

Columbus goalie Daniil Tarasov has appeared on the ice very rarely this season but quite effectively. For instance, he played brilliantly against Utah. The graduate of Ufa's hockey school handled the opponent's pressure well, made no costly mistakes, and ultimately saved 93.9% of shots on his goal. It's time to solidify that success.

📝 Editorial Prediction

In most cases, head-to-head matches between these opponents are quite competitive. It is rare for teams to shine with a high number of goals. In 18 of the last 19 encounters, opponents scored no more than six goals against each other. A similar trend is observed with the "Jackets" in this regular season. The team diligently minimizes risks and relies on quality defensive play. In 9 out of 10 Columbus games, goalkeepers also conceded no more than six goals. In our opinion, both trends will continue. Our key bet is total under 6.5 goals.