This is a 10* NON-CONFERENCE TOTAL OF THE YEAR on the OVER Sens/Stars.

Ottawa is just 2-4-0, while Dallas is 3-3-1.

Ottawa has seen the total go 1-6 this year, with the only OVER coming in its last game, a 7-5 setback at home to Washington at the start of the week. This is the start of a tough three-game road trip for the Senators and I think they'll be out to push the pace as they try to get the Stars out of their comfort zone.

Dallas likes to play at a methodical pace. It likes to sit back and wait for the other team to make the first mistake.

So far the Stars have seen the total go UNDER in all seven games they've played.

However, while I do believe that the LAW OF AVERAGES is flawed in many ways, I'm also a big believer that lop-sided trends and numbers have a way of naturally "correcting" themselves over the short, the mid and the long-term.

And so for us, that's going to be the case here in this one. Whoever gets the start in net, it doesn't matter in our process for making this selection.

One last thing I'll point out here as well is that the Stars have seen the total go OVER the number in ten of their last 14 after playing to five or more straight UNDERS in a row.

I expect a wide-open affair between two teams in need of a victory and I look for this total to fly OVER the number sooner, rather than later.

Good luck, NP