Stars vs. Avalanche NHL Playoffs Predictions (Thursday)
Four potential elimination games are on tap for Thursday night’s NHL Stanley Cup Playoff slate. Toronto, Vegas, and Dallas are all up 3-2 and playing their opponent on the road tonight. The Los Angeles Kings are the lone road team down 3-2 against the Edmonton Oilers, blowing a 2-0 lead by losing three straight games entering Game 6.
My NHL Best Bets from last Thursday, April 24th, wound up 2-2. Florida shut out Tampa Bay on the road for a 2-0 win, cashing their +105 moneyline odds. Then, St. Louis routed Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets 7-2 to cash as a home underdog with their moneyline set to -106 odds. The two losing wagers were Ottawa’s overtime loss and Vegas’ 5-2 defeat, which allowed us to come away with a small profit.
I’m back with an NHL best bet to tail in every playoff game on Thursday’s jam-packed betting board. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more NHL free bets and weekly analysis throughout the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Here are our top picks and predictions for Stars vs. Avalanche.
Thursday’s NHL Best Bets: Stars vs. Avalanche
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Stars vs. Avalanche
Dallas bounced back with a strong 6-2 win on home ice to take a 3-2 series lead in Game 5. Now, the Stars head back to Ball Arena in Denver to try closing out this First Round series against the Colorado Avalanche.
Colorado C Nathan MacKinnon remains the best player on the ice. He’ll need support from the rest of his team to force a Game 7 back in Dallas. Aside from MacKinnon, who leads the Avalanche with seven points, including five goals, only Logan O’Connor has more than three points (5) through five games played.
Dallas remains without F Jason Robertson and D Miro Heiskanen but they’ve found ways to overcome these key losses due to injury. The Stars finally got Wyatt Johnston going in Game 5 and now, he leads Dallas with five points. D Thomas Harley and F Mikko Rantanen are close behind with four points each.
Jake Oettinger outplayed Mackenzie Blackwood in the crease during Dallas’ 6-2 win. Colorado fell into a 1-0 deficit nine seconds into the game, forcing the Avalanche to play from behind. The Stars built a 3-0 lead before allowing the Avalanche to trim the deficit to 3-2. Then, Johnston and Mason Marchment buried a pair of goals a couple minutes later to seal the win.
Blackwood and Oettinger have been fairly even in this series. Oettinger has a .914 save percentage, compared to Blackwood’s .909 save percentage. Blackwood is the only one to record a shutout thus far.
Colorado has played well on home ice during this series. They lost Game 3, 2-1 in overtime, before posting a 4-0 shutout win in Game 4. I see tonight’s game being a tightly contested, physical battle where goals will be at a premium.
Under 6.5 total goals has hit in three of five games played between the Stars and Avalanche in this series, including both games at Ball Arena. I expect a 3-2 or 4-2 win by one of these teams tonight. Instead of picking a side, let’s bet a unit on under 6.5 total goals at -134 odds.
Pick: Under 6.5 Total Goals (-134)
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