Stars vs. Sabres Recap: Oettinger Shutout Cashes the Under

The Dallas Stars shut out the Buffalo Sabres 4-0. Jake Oettinger stopped all 26 shots he faced, while Dallas needed only 18 shots to score four times against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Jason Robertson opened the scoring at 9:03 of the 1st, and Dallas put it away in the 2nd with three goals in a span of 5:58: Sam Steel at 9:36, Mikko Rantanen at 13:57 and a Roope Hintz power-play goal at 15:34. The 3rd was scoreless. Two DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game.

What cashed

ALT: Under 7.5 total goals (alt): CASHED - Our read: Dallas games were averaging 4.0 total goals this season, and Oettinger came in with a .943 save percentage in two starts. A low-event Dallas game with its starter in form pointed to the under at an alt number. - What happened: The game finished with 4 total goals, 3.5 under the line. Oettinger made 26 saves on 26 shots for the shutout, and the teams combined for 44 shots on goal. Four goals also stayed under the main total of 6.5. - Worth watching: Dallas games came in averaging 4.0 goals, and this one landed right on that number. A Dallas starter facing a modest shot count is the setup we want for this angle. The alt price was the check here: worth it at -200 or better, not past it.

Tyler Seguin under 0.5 points (-180 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Seguin had no points in 3 games while playing 14.7 minutes a night. Modest minutes and no points in the early going made the under a fair look at this price. - What happened: Seguin finished with 0 goals, 0 assists and 0 shots on goal in 15:40 of ice time, all of it at even strength with 0:00 on the power play. He cleared the 0.5 line by the full half point while Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston drove the Dallas offense. - Worth watching: The key detail is the role: no power-play time and no shots on goal. As long as he sits off PP1, point unders on him stay in play, but we pass past -180.

How the game played out

The 2nd period decided it. Dallas scored three times in under six minutes, capped by Hintz on the power play with Johnston and Rantanen assisting. Rantanen was in on all four goals with 1 goal and 3 assists, and Johnston had 3 assists. Buffalo outshot Dallas 26 to 18, but Oettinger made 4 saves with the Sabres on the power play and Buffalo went scoreless on 3 power-play chances. Dallas scored 1 power-play goal on 2 chances and won 62.3 percent of the faceoffs.

Trends to watch

• Dallas got goals from one connected group: Rantanen and Johnston each logged 2:33 on the power play, and Rantanen led the way with 4 points.
• Oettinger's workload was steady but not heavy at 26 shots. He finished with a 1.000 save percentage, 22 even-strength saves and 4 on the penalty kill.
• Buffalo put volume on net without a finish. Tage Thompson led the Sabres with 6 shots on goal in 19:08, including 3:03 on the power play, and still came up empty.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. For more, see our NHL hub, the NHL recaps page, and what an alt line is.