Dallas Eyeing 24th Road Win
This could be a potential playoff preview with Dallas and defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado heading into Saturday in second and third place in the Central Division standings.
Dallas went 10-4-1 and Colorado 10-5-1 in March and both lost ground on the division-leading Minnesota Wild. Still, depending on what happens in Minnesota’s game against Western Conference front-runner Vegas, the Stars can move into first place in the division with a win.
The Avalanche finished second in power play percentage last month, converting on 34% of its chances on the power play and also ended up fourth in penalty killing so Dallas would prefer to keep this a 5-on-5 affair.
Dallas is coming off a 5-2 win over Arizona and is 3-5 when playing on the second day of a back-to-back while Colorado hasn’t played since Wednesday’s 4-2 loss to Minnesota, so keep that in mind when making NHL picks.
When looking at some of the NHL news, forward Mason Marchment (knee) and goalie Scott Wedgewood (lower body) are sidelined for Dallas. For Colorado, forwards Gabriel Landeskog and Arturri Lehkonen, defenseman Josh Manson and goalie Pavel Francouz continue to be sidelined.
According to the NHL playoff odds, the Avalanche (+700) trail only the Boston Bruins in the odds to win the Stanley Cup. Dallas (+1600) is tied for 10th in the championship odds.
Making Themselves Home on the Road
One reason why Dallas has been in contention for the Central Division title all season long has been the ability to pick up points on the road.
The Stars have won their last three road games and the 23 road wins falls one short of the lead among Western Conference teams. Dallas is 8-2 in its last 10 road games and 6-2 in the last eight trips to Denver.
Jason Robertson is 10th with 43 points (17 goals, 26 assists) while Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz and Robertson rank second, third and fifth among forwards in plus/minus rating on the road. Robertson had a goal and three assists in a win over Arizona the last time out.
WHAT A NIGHT! STARS WIN!@BudLight | #BudLightCelly | #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/5N9PzPGtJj
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 1, 2023
The Las Vegas odds total has gone over in 10 of Dallas’ last 14 games.
Looking to Bounce Back
Nathan MacKinnon has played a starring role in Colorado’s surge into contention for the division title.
MacKinnon had eight multi-point games in the month of March and despite missing 11 games, he is closing in on his first 100-point season of his career.
However, what transpired the last time out won’t show up on MacKinnon’s postseason highlight tape. Facing division-leading Minnesota, MacKinnon was held without a point for just the third time in his last 24 games and he was also -3 in the 4-2 loss.
MacKinnon hasn’t been held without a point in back-to-back games this season. He has 10 goals and 13 assists in the 12 games after being held off the scoresheet with Colorado going 7-4-1 in those contests.
The NHL betting lines total has gone under in 13 of Colorado’s last 19 games against teams from the Central Division.
Stars vs Avalanche Game Injuries
Stars vs Avalanche Head-to-Head
The home team has won the last two meetings with Colorado winning 4-1 on Nov. 26 with Josh Manson leading the way with a goal and an assist. Dallas won 7-3 on Mar. 4 as Jason Robertson had two goals and an assist.
The road team had won five of the previous six matchups and that included Colorado’s 3-2 shootout win on Nov. 21.
Five straight games between the Avalanche and Stars finished under the total before the teams combined for 10 games in the most recent meeting.
Stars vs Avalanche Game Information
- Game: Stars (40-20-14 UPDATE) vs Avalanche (44-24-6)
- Location: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
- Day/Time: Saturday, April 1, 9 p.m. ET
- Stars vs Avalanche Live Stream: NHL TV
Stars vs Avalanche Betting Lines
Stars vs Avalanche Picks and Prediction
The game features two of the top point producing defensemen in the NHL. In the month of March, Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen led all defensemen with 19 assists and 23 points with two of his four goals being game-winning tallies. Colorado’s Cale Makar saw three of his four goals being game-winning ones and had 21 points.
The teams are a combined 4 of 21 on the power play in the last three meetings.
Colorado is 24-14 against the spread on the road, one of the best marks in the NHL. Dallas has covered in just 16 of its 38 road games.
The Avalanche is 32-21-3 when listed by the sportsbook as the favorite. Dallas is 9-11-5 as the underdog.
The Dallas Stars are listed at +140 in our Las Vegas hockey odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Stars, you have a chance to win $140. Colorado is -160, offering a chance to win $63 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Dallas Stars a 41.67% chance to win, with the Colorado Avalanche at 61.54%.
Stars vs Avalanche Trends
Stars vs Avalanche Edge
Stars vs Avalanche Results
Stars vs Avalanche Game Summary
