The National Hockey League’s Bridgestone Winter Series Classic, a series that moves ice hockey outside, has taken place in mostly northern climes up to this point, but on New Year’s Day of 2020 the event will take place far from snow and ice, in Dallas, Texas. The Cotton Bowl, a venerable stadium with plenty of historic associations of its own, will host hockey for the first time. This stadium has hosted a number of terrific bowl games, before the Cotton Bowl Classic moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington; it also was the first home stadium for the Dallas Cowboys. It hosted games in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, so while it now is mostly known just for hosting the yearly Texas-Oklahoma football game during the State Fair of Texas, the stadium will add more to its lore on Wednesday. Don’t miss our sports betting preview of this clash of Central Division foes set for a sunny Wednesday afternoon in Texas.
Predators vs Stars 2019 NHL Odds, Preview & Pick
We’re here. #Preds | #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/6HrOQWTE2G
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) December 31, 2019
- When: Wednesday, January 1, 2020, 2:00 pm ET
- Where: The Cotton Bowl, Dallas
- TV: NBC
- Radio: WPRT 102.5 FM Nashville / KTCK 1310 AM Dallas
- Live Stream: NBCSports.com
- NHL Odds: TBA
Why should you bet on Nashville?
The Nashville Predators have dropped three out of five, including getting swept in a home-and-home series by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday and Saturday, losing at home, 5-2, and then heading to Pittsburgh only to fall, 6-4. In both of those games, the Penguins jumped on the offense quickly, scoring three first-period goals each time. In the game on Saturday, Nashville showed sterner stuff, coming back to tie the game. The game was knotted at 4-4 when Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel converted the team’s third power-play goal of the night with just 1:03 left in regulation. The Penguins added an empty-net goal in the last minute of the third to salt away the victory.
Mikael Granlund had two goals for Nashville on the night, including the 100th goal of his NHL career, and Craig Smith and Viktor Arvidsson also scored. Arvidsson has three goals in his last three games. Roman Josi had a pair of assists and now has points in seven straight games, a career high. Nashville needs to start the game on Wednesday with more energy than they started either game against Pittsburgh.
Why should you put your money on Dallas?
The Dallas Stars have split their last six games, and they are just as inconsistent a team after the firing of coach Jim Montgomery as they were before it. If you take out a seven-game winning streak that the team mysteriously posted earlier in the season, they are 15-14-4, which means they are right about the .500 line. Their last four games have been a particularly vivid microcosm of their season, as they lost 7-4 at Florida on December 20, came home to get pasted, 5-1, by Calgary two nights later, and then beat Colorado and Arizona. In that win over the Coyotes, the Stars were down 2-0 going into the third period and then delivered a rousing comeback.
In that game, the Stars were outmuscled and outworked in the first period, as the Coyotes outshot them 22-5, but then they amped up their physicality in the second period and finally broke through in the third. Roope Hintz scored the game-winning goal with 4:09 left in regulation. Mattias Janmark added insurance with an empty-net goal with 1:36 left. So the question for bettors is this: which Stars team will show up at the Cotton Bowl? That is the same question that Stars fans have been asking for several seasons now.
Final Score Prediction
The fun of playing ice hockey outside — and the issues that come with maintaining an even ice surface outside on a day when the temperatures will be in the 50s — will keep this game interesting, with a unique aura. I see Dallas taking advantage of a rivalry that has gone their way as of late, with a final score of Stars 3, Predators 2.
