Two teams that are squarely in playoff contention, the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche meet at the Pepsi Center. This divisional matchup gets going at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 14 and it’s being shown live on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche Odds
Colorado enters the contest as the heavy favorite with a moneyline of -140. The line for Dallas now stands at +120 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been placed at 6 goals. The odds for betting that total sit at -105 money on the over and -115 for the under.
Dallas is 26-19 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 45 regular season contests, 29 of its games have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just one has pushed. As a road team this season, the Stars are 11-11 SU.
Dallas has converted on 20.2 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the second-strongest penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off a whopping 84.2 percent of all penalties.
Dallas, as a collective unit, has been sent to the penalty box 3.6 times per game this season, 3.4 per game over its last five contests total, and 3.4 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays just 7.4 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
Sporting a .928 save percentage and 27.3 saves per game, Ben Bishop (17-12-3) has been the top option in goal for Dallas this season. If Dallas chooses to rest him, however, head coach Rick Bowness may go with Anton Khudobin (11-8-1 record, .932 save percentage, 2.13 goals against average).
Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Stars. Seguin has 35 points via 11 goals and 24 assists, and has recorded multiple points in nine different games. Radulov has 13 goals and 15 assists to his name (and has notched a point in 18 games).
Colorado is 25-20 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 0.8 units this year. Through 45 regular season matches, 24 of its games have gone over the total, while 19 have gone under and just two have pushed. This season, the team’s 11-10 SU at home.
Colorado has converted on 19.6 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 22nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
The Avalanche have been penalized 3.7 times per game this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 8.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Philipp Grubauer (27.6 saves per game) has been the primary option in the crease for Colorado. Grubauer has 13 wins, 13 losses, and three OT losses and has registered a poor .909 save percentage and 2.92 goals against average this season.
Nathan MacKinnon (27 goals, 39 assists) will pace the offensive attack for the Avalanche.
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche Free Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in four of their past five matchups.
- Dallas has managed 28.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Colorado is averaging 38.2 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Power plays and penalty kills may have a critical role tonight. The Stars are 6-5 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 13-14 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Avalanche are 15-9 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 19-10 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Colorado skaters have forced 10.4 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 8.3 takeaways per game (ranked 7th overall).
- Dallas is ranked 17th overall this season with 7.4 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down lately, however, as the team has forced 6.8 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.4 takeaways over its last five.
