Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/23/2025

by Rod Pearson

Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025
Game Time: 9:30 pm ET, Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Venue:  Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Where to Watch:  ESPN


Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Stars +142, Avalanche -175; Over/Under:  6.5 goals
Bet365:  Moneyline:  Stars +145, Avalanche -170; Over/Under:  6.5 goals
BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Stars +145, Avalanche -175; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Season Record

Dallas Stars:  50-26-6 (2nd place, Central Division)
Colorado Avalanche:  49-29-4 (3rd place, Central Division)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! AAA Sports is on a HOT STREAK in the NHL on a 16-7 for +$8,440 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Recent Form
Dallas Stars:  2-6-2 last 10
Colorado Avalanche:  5-3-2 last 10



Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche Preview and Analysis


The Stars are entering the playoffs with 106 points, a 50-26-6 record overall, and they were 22-16-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Colorado Avalanche in their last game, winning that one at home 4-3 in overtime. Colin Blackwell, Evgenii Dadonov, Thomas Harley, and Tyler Seguin each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Sam Steel led the team in assists with 2 while Colin Blackwell and Wyatt Johnston each led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Jake Oettinger was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 37 shots with 34 saves and a .919 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 277 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 224 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.


The Avalanche are entering the playoffs with 102 points, a 49-29-4 record overall, and they were 26-12-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Dallas Stars in their last game, losing that one on the road 4-3 in OT. Logan O'Connor, Jack Drury, and Nathan MacKinnon each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Logan O'Connor, Jonathan Drouin, Samuel Girard, Artturi Lehkonen, Ryan Lindgren, and Cale Makar each led the team in assists with 1 while Cale Makar led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Mackenzie Blackwood was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 39 shots with 35 saves and a .897 save percentage. Their offense has scored 277 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 234 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.


Stars vs Avalanche Prediction

The current betting odds have the Avalanche listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 3 of a 7 game series between the 2nd seeded Stars and the 3rd seeded Avalanche from the Central Division for the 1st round of the NHL playoffs. This series is all tied up 1-1 after the Stars won game 2 at home. The Stars took game 2 of this series with a 4-3 win in overtime, but they fought tooth and nail in both home games to start this series and barely came out of it with a win. Now they are going on the road and the pressure is on them to flip the home advantage back in their favor, but they really haven't looked good lately. They finally played well in game 2, but they were a no show in the 1st game and even finished the regular season in a huge slump. They are only 2-6-2 in their last 10 games and they weren't as good in their road games this season either. The Avalanche have looked really good on home ice this year with their 26-12-3 home record, and they have one of the best offenses in the NHL too. Scoring goals has been a big issue for the Stars in their games lately, but their goaltending has been an even bigger issue with the goals they have been giving up. The Avalanche have been scoring a ton of goals in their games lately and they will be looking to jump on the Stars early in this game. The Stars have had a ton of success in the playoffs over the last few seasons, but they still haven't gotten over the hump yet while the Avalanche are a team that has won the Stanley Cup over the last 3 years and that experience is going to be big in this series. Look for the Avalanche to come out strong at home and take a series lead here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Avalanche to win this game and on the puckline.

Stars Avalanche Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Wednesday, April 23, 2025 (9:30 pm ET start time) is Avalanche 5 Stars 3.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Dallas Stars Colorado Avalanche prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NHL predictions and previews.

NHL Betting Trends


Dallas Stars: 94-74 (-14.9 units) on the moneyline off a win in their previous game. 77-78 (-18.2 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 91-81 (-12.3 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 10-5 UNDER in the first round of the playoffs.

Colorado Avalanche: 36-18 (+9 units) on the moneyline off a road loss. 84-48 (+15.5 units) on the moneyline after playing a road game. 100-45 (+19.5 units) on the moneyline against poor defensive teams - 29 shots on goal or more, converting 17% pp or more. 44-28 UNDER revenging a same season loss vs opponent.

Key Injuries


Dallas Stars:  J. Robertson (LW) Out - Knee. M. Heiskanen (D) Day To Day - Knee. N. Lundkvist (D) Out For Season - Upper Body.

Colorado Avalanche:  R. Colton (C) Day To Day - Lower Body. G. Landeskog (LW) Day To Day - Knee. T. Poolman (D) Out For Season - Head.


Notable Quotes


“Our season's on the line if we lose the first two games here. We got away with it last year in series one against Vegas, but you're probably not going to that well again this year and winning. We knew our season was on the line, and like I said, I thought we got more direct in our game, more competitive, and got rewarded for that.” - Pete DeBoer after his team’s win against the Avalanche in game 2 of this series on Monday.


“I think they came out with a lot of desperation in the third period. We kind of stopped skating out of our zone and making plays out of our zone. We were throwing it right back to them too much in the neutral zone. There’s times where you got to go up and out and make the safe play, but we mismanaged the puck a little bit in the third period there. More than a little bit. We had some turnovers that we forced because of their forecheck and then we had some other ones that weren’t. They all start to add up and you start playing on your half of the rink too much and bad things are going to happen.’’ - Jared Bednar after his team’s loss against the Stars in game 2 of this series on Monday.


Starting Lineups


Dallas Stars
LW Jamie Benn
C Wyatt Johnston
RW Mikko Rantanen
LD Esa Lindell
RD Cody Ceci
G Jake Oettinger

Colorado Avalanche
LW Artturi Lehkonen
C Nathan MacKinnon
RW Martin Necas
LD Devon Toews
RD Cale Makar
G MacKenzie Blackwood

Statistical Leaders


Dallas Stars
Points: M. Rantanen (88)
Goals: J. Robertson (35)
Assists: M. Rantanen (56)
GAA: J. Oettinger (2.59)

Colorado Avalanche
Points: N. MacKinnon (116)
Goals: N. MacKinnon (32)
Assists: N. MacKinnon (84)
GAA: S.Wedgewood (2.21)

Coaches:
Dallas Stars: Peter DeBoer (3rd season)
Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (9th season)


Rod Pearson

About the Author:

Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life.  He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years.  In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective.  Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

© 2025 Al McMordie's BigAl.com. All Rights Reserved.