The Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche battle in a decisive Game 7 to wrap up their exciting Western Conference Semifinals series Friday at 4 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Below, we analyze the Stars-Avalanche NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Stars vs. Avalanche: Projected starting goalies
Anton Khudobin vs. Michael Hutchinson
Khudobin has been confirmed for Game 7, not that there was much doubt after Ben Bishop laid an egg in Game 5, looking lost. Bishop has once again been deemed unfit for the series finale. However, Khudobin didn’t light the world afire last time out, allowing three goals on 23 shots, but he is the best, and healthiest, tendy in green and black right now. He is 3-3 with a 3.38 goals against average and .897 save percentage in this series.
Hutchinson entered the bubble as the third goaltender for the Avs behind Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz. However, injuries to the two gave Hutchinson his opportunity, and he has answered the bell. Hutchinson has picked up wins in a pair of elimination games, helping the Avalanche rebound from a 3-1 series hole to force a Game 7. Win or lose, Hutchinson has earned a ton of respect in that locker room, and if he does help the team win and advance, he’ll be a sports hero in Denver forever.
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Stars vs. Avalanche: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 5:28 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Avalanche 3, Stars 2
Moneyline (ML)
The AVALANCHE (-139) are the winning play for Game 7. There isn’t a lot to glean from historical results. After grabbing a 3-1 series lead, the Stars (+120) have dropped Games 5 and 6. Teams that have blown 3-1 series leads are 28-29 in Game 7, so it’s essentially a coin flip. But Colorado has the more high-octane offense, and it will find a way to create offense late in the game to earn a spot in the Western Conference Final.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Avalanche returns a profit of $7.19, while a winning $10 play on the Stars fetches a return of $12.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
PASS. Betting a puck line in any Game 7 is a bad idea. Very rarely is the margin wide in a Game 7. This is the first Game 7 of these Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last season the puck line cashed in just two of six Game 7’s. Of course, five of the previous six winners in this series have also hit the puck line. Still, it’s best to AVOID.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 6 (-115) is worth the play despite it going against the grain a little bit. The Over has connected in five of the six games in this series with an average of 8.0 goals per game. However, as the intensity ratcheted up in Game 6, we saw a total of just five goals for the first Under result of the series. Expect the intensity to be even higher in this decisive game, with a lack of scoring for most of the battle.
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