[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]
The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche square off in Game 6 of their Western Conference 2nd-round series Friday. Puck drop from Ball Arena is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (TNT). Stars lead series 3-2. Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Stars vs. Avalanche odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Stars won 3 consecutive games in this series after an epic Game 1 collapse. The win streak included a pair of victories in the Mile High City in Games 3 and 4 by a combined 9-2 score. Things were rolling along, but Dallas couldn’t finish things off on home ice in Game 5, falling 5-3 Wednesday.
The Avalanche had their season extended by D Cale Makar, who notched 2 goals on 5 shots, including a power-play marker in Wednesday’s victory as the Avs cashed as +132 underdogs. LW Artturi Lehkonen and C Nathan MacKinnon each added a goal and an assist in the win.
The high-scoring ways for Colorado continued in Game 5 as the Over improved to 3-1-1 in this series and 7-2-1 in 10 postseason games for the Avs. They have averaged 2.8 goals per game (GPG) in this series, and 4.2 GPG in the playoffs, while allowing 4.0 GPG to the Stars, and 3.5 GPG total in the postseason.
Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team’s out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now!
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 4:44 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Stars +100 (bet $100 to win $100) | Avalanche -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Stars +1.5 (-250) | Avalanche -1.5 (+200)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -120 | U: +100)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]
Stars at Avalanche projected goalies
Jake Oettinger (7-5-0, 2.27 GAA, .914 SV% — 2024 playoffs) vs. Alexandar Georgiev (6-4-0, 3.09 GAA, .890 SV% — 2024 playoffs)
Oettinger was tagged for 5 goals on 27 shots in Game 5 at home, the most goals he has allowed in a single game since inexplicably allowing 6 goals in a 7-6 OTW against the San Jose Sharks on the road back on March 5. He allowed 4 goals in the Game 1 loss in Dallas, bouncing back with 28 saves in the Game 2 victory.
Georgiev kicked aside 23 of the 26 shots in Game 5, and he has made 23 or fewer saves in 3 of the past 5 outings. When tasked with stopping more than 23 shots, he is 0-2 in this series.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Stars at Avalanche picks and predictions
Prediction
Avalanche 3, Stars 2
Moneyline
The AVALANCHE (-120) have a little bit of momentum after the stunning Game 5 win, staving off elimination. Now, Colorado looks to force a decisive Game 7 back in the Metroplex. First things first, though.
The Avalanche have lost both home games in this series to the Stars (+100), so home-ice hasn’t exactly been a certainty. Still, Colorado has found a way to get it back to its place, the home crowd should be able to spur the team on, and it has put the Valeri Nichushkin distraction in the rear-view mirror, or so it seems. The 29-year-old Russian right wing, who had a team-best 9 playoff goals, was suspended for at least 6 months Monday and placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHL Players’ Association player assistance program.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Stars +1.5 (-250) are way too expensive on the puck line if you were looking for a little bit of insurance and are a bit conservative and don’t want to bet Dallas straight up.
Over the long haul, risking that type of money for such a small return is not a good betting strategy.
AVOID.
Over/Under
UNDER 6 (+100) is a good play in this huge Game 6 in the Mile High City.
While we’ve seen the Over cash at a 3-1-1 pace in this series, the Under is 1-0-1 in the 2 games at Ball Arena. For whatever reason, the Avs offense has fallen flat at home against the Stars, averaging just 1.0 GPG.
Expect to see the Avs paying the price defensively, blocking plenty of shots, while Georgiev is leaned upon to give his best. If Colorado can do more defensively, it will get this series back to Dallas for Game 7, while cashing the Under in the process.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]