Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars Game 7 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
No one is surprised this series is going the distance as Colorado and Dallas are both legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. The Avalanche kept their season alive and pushed this to seven games with a 7-4 home win in Game 6.
Colorado is a -135 favourite to win Game 7 on the NHL odds, with the total set at 5.5.
Avalanche vs. Stars NHL Betting Odds
I’m a little surprised the total is opened so low for this game. Four of six games in the series have combined for six or more goals and the winning team in each of the last two games surpassed the game total by themselves.
History is on Dallas’ side in this one. These teams have met in the playoffs five times before this year, with the Stars winning the three series’ that lasted six or seven games. Not to mention Stars head coach Pete DeBoer’s 8-0 career record in Game 7s.
Let’s go back in time and see how the odds have fluctuated. Colorado opened as -160 favourites to win the series, but the best value was ahead of Game 6 when they were at +160. They started the playoffs as +750 co-favourites to win the Stanley Cup, rising to +1000 after Game 3.
Dallas started the series at +135 to win, going as long as +350 after Game 1 and as short as -120 entering Game 6. Their Cup odds at the start of the playoffs were +850 and they were a very attractive +2200 after the Game 1 loss.
Let’s move back to what really matters: the present. The Avalanche enter Game 7 at +700 to win the Stanley Cup on the NHL futures board (as of Friday afternoon), the fourth-shortest odds of all remaining teams. The Stars have the second-longest Cup odds at +1300, but keep in mind, all of those odds are subject to change based on what happens Friday night between Winnipeg and St. Louis.
Colorado Avalanche
The big dogs came to play for Colorado in Game 6, with Nathan MacKinnon (1G, 2A) and Cale Makar (1G, 2A) each recording thee points, while Gabriel Landeskog (2A), Martin Necas (1G, 1A), Valeri Nichushkin (2G) and Brock Nelson (2A) each had two-point nights. The breakout night from the second line of Landeskog, Nichushkin and Nelson was the difference-maker, while MacKinnon continues to dominate with an NHL-high six goals through six playoff games.
Mackenzie Blackwood pitched two perfect shutouts periods in Game 6, but he was torched for all four Dallas goals on nine shots in the second period. Blackwood’s numbers have dipped a bit as his first first career playoff series has gone on. The 28-year-old allowed seven total goals over the first four games of the series, including a Game 4 shutout, but he’s now given up nine goals in the last two games. It’s promising that Blackwood bounced back for the third period in Game 6, but his numbers in the last two games are still concerning.
Dallas Stars
Finnish stars Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz made history on Thursday during Dallas’ four-goal barrage in the second period. Rantanen (1G, 3A) and Hintz (2G, 2A) are the first teammates in NHL history to each record four points in the same period of a playoff team. It’s particularly encouraging for Rantanen, who now leads the team with eight playoff points (2G, 6A) after starting the series with one point through the first four games.
Miro Hesikanen and Jason Robertson have been skating with the team, but they are both long shots to play Game 7 because of their respective knee injuries. Heiskanen is the more likely of the two to play. One player who will be in the lineup is goaltender Jake Oettinger, who has been the Stars best player all series. Oettinger was peppered with 46 shots in Game 6, turning aside 41. The 26-year-old’s .909 save percentage in the playoffs is fifth-best among goalies who have played at least 30 minutes.
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