The Colorado Avalanche are preparing for Game 6 against the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Friday at 10 p.m. ET. The game will be aired on TVAS, SN, SN1, TNT, truTV and MAX. The Stars lead the series 3-2.
The Dallas Stars missed a chance to eliminate the Colorado Avalanche in five games in the Western Conference second round. They led 2-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday, but eventually lost 5-3. They had a 3-0 lead in Game 1, but fell 4-3 in overtime before recovering to win the next three games by a collective score of 14-5.
Dallas had the best road record during the regular season and is currently 4-1 on the road in the playoffs, allowing the fewest goals per game among the 16 playoff teams. The Stars have a 3-4 record at home in the playoffs, allowing 3.14 goals per game, which ranks seventh.
On the other hand, Colorado is entering this game to avoid elimination for the second game in a row, but they will have to defeat the best road team in the NHL. Colorado had a 31-9-1 record at home during the regular season.
The Avalanche were the top home team this season, but they are 0-2 at home in this playoff series. They won Game 5-5-3, but it was closely contested in the third period. Colorado outshot Dallas 27-26 and converted 2 of 3 power play opportunities in the win.
Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche: Game preview
The Dallas Stars failed to defeat the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 at home. Dallas lost the opening game but managed to win games two, three and four with scores of 5-3, 4-1 and 5-1, respectively.
Miro Heiskanen has been a key player for Dallas with five goals and eight assists, while Wyatt Johnston added seven goals for 11 points.
Tyler Seguin, Jason Robertson and Evgenii Dadonov scored three goals each. Jake Oettinger, who is expected to start as the goalie for the Stars, has a 7-5-0 postseason record, a GAA of 2.27 and a SV% of .914. He has conceded 28 goals on 325 shots faced.
Dallas averages 3.00 goals per game with a 30% success rate on the power play and concedes 2.50 goals per game with a 72% success rate on the penalty kill in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche are averaging 4.20 goals per game in the postseason, with a 34.5% success rate on the power play and allowing 3.50 goals per game, with a 72.4% success rate on the penalty kill.
The Avalanche are one of just two teams to have won 10 or more games this season when they were tied or trailing after the second period.
Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon have been leading the charge for Colorado with 14 points each, while Mikko Rantanen has contributed three goals and 10 assists.
The starting goalie for Colorado, Alexandar Georgiev, has a postseason record of 6-4-0, a GAA of 3.09, and a SV% of .890. He has allowed 31 goals on 273 shots faced.
Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche: Injury report
For Colorado, Gabriel Landeskog and Logan O'Connor are both out for the season due to knee and hip injuries, respectively. Valeri Nichushkin has been placed in Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program of the NHLPA and NHL, leading to a suspension without pay for at least six months.
On the Stars' side, Jani Hakanpaa is out with a lower-body injury, and Roope Hintz is questionable due to an upper-body issue.
Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche: Head-to-head
The Stars have an all-time playoff record of 17-20-0-0 against the Avalanche. As for faceoffs, the Stars have a success rate of 45.9%, while the Avalanche have a higher success rate of 52.1%.
Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche: Spread
The Avalanche, with a 1.5-goal lead, are expected to perform well against the Stars and have a +210 chance to beat the spread, while the odds for the Stars are at -260.
Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche: Over/Under
The total goals are predicted to be 6.5. The odds for scoring more than this are +104, while the odds for scoring less are -128.
Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche: Series odds and score predictions
Colorado, being the -115 favorite, has a 54.3% probability of securing a win in this game. On the other hand, Dallas, despite being a -102 underdog on the road, still holds a 50% chance of winning tonight.
Score Prediction: Dallas 5-3 Avalanche