NHL Playoffs: Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche odds, picks and predictions
NHL Playoffs: Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche odds, picks and predictions
The Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche meet in Game 3 of a Western Conference best-of-7, first-round series Wednesday in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The opening puck drop at Ball Arena in Denver will be at 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's NHL odds around the Stars vs. Avalanche odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Series: Tied 1-1
Dallas was blitzed 5-1 in the Saturday series lid-lifter and then bounced back with a 4-3 overtime win Monday. These 2 games were played in Dallas. The Central Division runners-up were behind 3-2 heading into the third period Monday, but they leveled the contest with a RW Evgenii Dadonov goal midway through the third and then won it on a C Colin Blackwell netfinder 18 minutes into OT.
Colorado, which took 2 of 3 from the Stars in the regular season and lost to them in a second-round series last spring, are back on home ice for Game 3. In the regular season, the Avs went 26-12-3 at home. In last year's playoff series, Colorado dropped each of 3 home games against the Stars.
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Stars at Avalanche odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:35 a.m. ET.
Moneyline: Stars +155 (bet $100 to win $155) | Avalanche -185 (bet $185 to win $100)
Stars +155 (bet $100 to win $155) | Avalanche -185 (bet $185 to win $100) Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Stars +1.5 (-160) | Avalanche -1.5 (+135)
Stars +1.5 (-160) | Avalanche -1.5 (+135) Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
Stars at Avalanche projected goalies
Jake Oettinger (regular season: 36-18-4, 2.59 GAA, .909 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Mackenzie Blackwood (28-21-6, 2.55 GAA, .912 SV%, 4 SO)Oettinger allowed 4 goals in the series opener but bounced back to stop 34 of 37 in Game 2. The 26-year-old has a lengthy playoff resume, and that includes posting a .911 SV% in the 2024 series against Colorado and logging an overall .914 SV% across 49 career postseason games.Blackwood was between the pipes for Games 1 and 2. Saturday's series opener marked his first career playoff game. He owns a .921 SV% this series. Blackwood had struggled down the stretch in the regular season, notching an .867 SV% across his last 4 starts.Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now!
Stars at Avalanche picks and predictions
Prediction
Avalanche 4, Stars 3
Dallas dropped its last 3 road games of the regular season. In regular-season and playoff games combined, the Stars have coughed up 42 goals over their last 9 outings.
Colorado was not great down the stretch in the regular season but was better than Dallas. And the Avs have been quite good on home ice. They played out the back end of the season with better 5-on-5 analytics.
BET THE AVALANCHE (-185).
There is a lean on the Over in this contest, but the Oettinger is worthy of enough respect to generate a PASS here unless the return for Colorado gets a bump.
The Over is 4-1 across the last 5 Dallas-Colorado games.
The 5-on-5 expected-goal figures lean toward more scoring. (Those numbers also back up more Avs offense and a higher yield in goals for the Stars.) Both sides have some playing-on-1-day rest figures that lean toward more scoring also. And adding in special-teams trends on both sides (the Avs have tallied power-play goals in 4 straight games for instance) adds more fuel to the Over fire.
TAKE THE OVER 6.5 (-105).
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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