Bruins vs. Stars Prediction, NHL Odds & Best Bets (10/20)

October 20, 2026 by OddsCrowd Analysts

Fact checked at 8:05 AM ET, Oct 20, 2026

Odds as of Oct 20, 7:57 AM ET

Boston rolls into Dallas at 7-2-0 with five straight wins, the last three a sweep of a California trip that ended 4-1 over the Kings on Saturday. None of those five wins was closer than two goals. The Bruins score 3.78 goals a game, tied for fifth in the league, and allow 2.11, second-fewest. The one team stingier is the one they're visiting.

Dallas allows 1.50 goals a game, the fewest in the NHL, and 22.6 shots a game, second-fewest. Jake Oettinger carries a .952 save percentage and a league-leading three shutouts, the latest in Saturday's 4-0 win in Chicago. Scoring is where the Stars come up short: 2.38 goals a game, tied for 27th, and a 1-2-0 home record as they open a six-game homestand.

Dallas is a -170 favorite. Pavel Zacha, Boston's top-line center, missed Saturday with an upper-body injury, skated with the team Monday in Dallas and is a game-time decision. David Pastrnak leads the Bruins with 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) and plays on the top line and the first power-play unit. Jeremy Swayman (6-1-0, 1.85 goals-against average, .934) is expected in goal for Boston. Puck drop is Tuesday at 8:00 PM ET at American Airlines Center.

Our read: Dallas's defense keeps this close, and Boston's best players still find enough offense to stay within a goal. Both picks need the Bruins to score against the league's stingiest defense, so a Dallas shutout would sink both.

Bruins vs. Stars Predictions

Pick #1: David Pastrnak Over 0.5 Assists (-115)
Pick #2: Bruins +1.5 (-180)

PICK #1: David Pastrnak Over 0.5 Assists (-115)

Pastrnak has an assist in 6 of 9 games this season, 8 in all, and one of them came Saturday in Los Angeles with Zacha out of the lineup. Last season he set up a goal in 48 of 77 games, 62.3% of the time, and he did it in both meetings with Dallas: one assist on Jan. 20, three on March 31. He's playing 16 to 22 minutes a night on the top line and the first power-play unit.

So the price is the appeal. -115 works out to 53.5%, well below what he's done over the last season and this one. The worry is who he's playing. Dallas gives up 1.50 goals a game and Oettinger already has three shutouts, so there may not be many Boston goals to touch. A 2-0 or 4-0 Dallas night beats this.

PICK #2: Bruins +1.5 (-180)

Boston plus a goal and a half covers every result except a Dallas win by two or more.

Dallas hasn't produced many of those. Its three wins by two or more were the three shutouts, against San Jose, Buffalo and Chicago. Four of its other five games were decided by one goal or a shootout, and the fifth was a 4-0 opening-night loss to St. Louis. Boston has lost by two or more twice in nine games, 4-1 at Minnesota and 4-1 at home to Ottawa. Over all of last season, Boston lost by two or more in 19 of 82 games.

The number has moved toward Boston, from -161 when it opened Monday to -180. That move came over the same stretch Zacha got back on the ice, so we treat it as one piece of news, not two. This isn't cheap: -180 implies 64.3%. The case depends on Dallas's offense staying where it has been all season, at 2.38 goals a game.

Overtime and shootouts count, so a Boston loss after regulation still cashes. What beats it is a 3-1 Dallas game sealed by a late empty-netter, or a repeat of last season's 6-2 Dallas win on Jan. 20.

21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.