Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche Prediction, Preview and Odds - 03/18/2026

Game Time: 9:30 pm ET, Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Venue:  Ball Arena, Denver, CO

Where to Watch:  TNT, HBO Max

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Stars +136, Avalanche -162; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Stars +135, Avalanche -165; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Stars +135, Avalanche -165; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Dallas Stars:  42-15-10 (2nd place, Central Division)

Colorado Avalanche:  44-13-9 (1st place, Central Division)

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Dallas Stars:  8-1-1 last 10

Colorado Avalanche:  6-4-0 last 10

The Stars are entering this game with 94 points, a 42-15-10 record overall, and they are 20-7-6 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Utah Mammoth in their last game, losing that one at home 6-3. Adam Erne, Sam Steel, and Wyatt Johnston each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Arttu Hyry, Esa Lindell, Jamie Benn, Jason Robertson, Miro Heiskanen, and Tyler Myers each led the team in assists with 1 while Jamie Benn led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Casey DeSmith was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 5 goals on 21 shots with 16 saves and a .762 save percentage. Their offense has scored 235 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 184 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.

The Avalanche are entering this game with 97 points, a 44-13-9 record overall, and they are 23-6-4 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their last game, losing that one at home 7-2. Brent Burns and Nathan MacKinnon each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Cale Makar, Gavin Brindley, Josh Manson, and Martin Nečas each led the team in assists with 1 while Brent Burns led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Scott Wedgewood was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 5 shots with 2 saves and a .400 sv percentage before getting pulled and being replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood who allowed 4 goals on 15 shots with 11 saves and a .733 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 249 goals this season averaging 3.8 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 170 goals against them allowing 2.6 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Stars listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Stars have looked great in their games this season with their 42-15-10 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the West with one of the best records in the entire NHL. They have been a great road team too with their 20-7-6 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Avalanche have looked great in their games this season with their 44-13-9 record overall which has them right at the top of their division in the West with the best record in the NHL. They have looked great on home ice too with their 23-6-4 home record this season. The Avalanche have looked like the best team in the NHL all season and they have been right at the top of the standings all year, never looking back. They are finally starting to cool off though. They are only 6-4-0 in their last 10 games and they have lost 2 games in a row now, coming off a 7-2 loss to the Penguins in their last one. The Avalanche are going to be looking to bounce back after that brutal loss at home, but the Stars are also off a loss in their last one and will also be looking to bounce back. The Stars are off a 6-3 home loss to the Mammoth in their last one, but they are still 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and have been rolling lately. One of those losses also came against the Avalanche in a shootout at home after the Stars jumped out to a big lead, so look for the Stars to get the Avs back now that the Avs are cooling off. The best way to place a bet here is on the Stars to win this game. 

Stars Avalanche Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Wednesday, March 18, 2026 (9:30 pm ET start time) is Stars 5 Avalanche 4.

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Dallas Stars: 62-42 (+9 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss versus opponent as a favorite. 151-101 (+6.1 units) on the moneyline against mistake free teams - opponents average 4 power plays/game or less. 131-80 (+16.8 units) on the moneyline against poor power play killing teams - opp score on over 17.5% of chances. 39-27 UNDER versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 0.5+ goals/game.

Colorado Avalanche: 69-52 (-23.9 units) on the moneyline after playing a home game. 67-58 (-9.8 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 103-71 (-6.8 units) on the moneyline against excellent power play teams- scoring on over 17.5% of their chances. 22-8 UNDER against poor offensive teams - averaging 26.5 shots on goal per game or less. 

Dallas Stars:  R. Hintz (C) Out - Lower Body. M. Rantanen (RW) Out - Lower-body. R. Faksa (C) Out - Upper-body. T. Seguin (C) Out For Season - ACL.

Colorado Avalanche:  R. Colton (C) Day To Day - Upper Body. G. Landeskog (LW) Out - Lower-Body. L. O'Connor (RW) Out - Hip. A. Lehkonen (LW) Out - Upper-body.

“The disappointing part for me is you're down 4-2. You like what you're doing offensively. You should come out in the second with a push, and our game went completely the opposite way. Like three shots, no push, one-and-done on every entry, and just look like we want to try and skill our way through it. And they just played the right way the whole game and score ends up where it ends up.” - Jared Bednar after his team’s loss against the Penguins in their game on Monday.

“Someone told me there we hadn’t lost in 55 days, but when you lose, it still feels the same. Early on, I thought they were a little loose, especially in the first eight minutes, and we just didn’t execute anything. I don’t think we were quite sharp enough in the beginning of the game to capitalize on some of those chances, especially off the line rushes. After two, I didn’t mind where we were. They got up 3-2 and then we started to press a little bit, and we haven’t done that in a while. You give up three 2-on-1s and they get another and put the game out of reach.” - Glen Gulutzan after his team’s loss against the Mammoth in their game on Monday.

LW Jason Robertson

C Wyatt Johnston

RW Mavrik Bourque

LD Esa Lindell

RD Miro Heiskanen

G Casey DeSmith

LW Valeri Nichushkin

C Nathan MacKinnon

RW Martin Necas

LD Devon Toews

RD Cale Makar

G Scott Wedgewood

Points: Jason Robertson (80)

Goals: Wyatt Johnston (37)

Assists: Mikko Rantanen (49)

GAA: Casey DeSmith (2.40)

Points: Nathan MacKinnon (110)

Goals: Nathan MacKinnon (45)

Assists: Nathan MacKinnon (65)

GAA: Scott Wedgewood (2.23)

Coaches:

Dallas Stars: Glen Gulutzan (1st season)

Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (10th season)