The NHL’s Western Conference semifinals start Tuesday night from Dallas as West top-seeded Dallas hosts Central Division rival Colorado in Game 1 of their best-of-7 with the Stars as short favorites on the NHL odds for both the opener and the series.

The Stars and Avalanche franchises will contest their sixth head-to-head postseason series following the 2020 Second Round, 2006 Conference Quarterfinals, 2004 Conference Quarterfinals, 2000 Conference Finals and 1999 Conference Finals. Dallas holds the edge in those meetings, with a record of 3-2. The eight remaining teams in the NHL playoffs have combined for only one of the past 12 Stanley Cup wins, with Colorado (2022) seeking its second cup in three seasons.

During this regular season, Colorado was 3-1-0 vs. the Stars, which included two wins in Dallas (6-3 on Nov. 18, 5-4 in overtime on Jan. 4) and one in Denver (5-1 on Feb. 27). The Stars won the last meeting of the regular season on the road, 7-4 on April 7. Oettinger was 1-2-0 with a 4.74 GAA and .863 GAA. Scott Wedgewood allowed five goals on 34 shots in the 5-4 overtime loss on Jan. 4. Georgiev started all four games and posted a 3.51 GAA and .892 save percentage.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 1 Information

From the desert to the mountains. ️️

See you soon, Avs. pic.twitter.com/1OehuwDnjE

— z – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 6, 2024

• When: Tuesday, May 7th, 2024, 9:30 PM ET
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM (Avalanche) // Sportsradio 96.7 FM (Stars)
• Live Stream: NHL Network
• NHL Betting Odds: Avalanche (+1.5) // Stars (-1.5)

Why Bet on the Colorado Avalanche?

Colorado has been off since ending Winnipeg’s season with a 6-3 victory in Game 5 of their first-round series last Tuesday – the Jets won Game 1 of the series, but then the Avalanche won the next four by multiple goals each. That series saw the teams combine for 43 goals, the eighth most in a five-game series in NHL history.

Mikko Rantanen had two goals in the clinching win. The 27-year-old had nine points, 14 shots on net, 13 hits, six blocked shots and a plus-6 rating in the first round. Nathan MacKinnon logged two assists in the win with a plus-3 rating. MacKinnon helped out on both of Rantanen’s tallies in the third period. Through five playoff outings, MacKinnon has up two goals, seven assists, 24 shots on net, five hits and a plus-5 rating. So far, he’s served as more of a playmaker for Valeri Nichushkin, who had seven goals while serving in a top-line role during the first round.

Alexandar Georgiev stopped 33 of 36 shots in the victory. Georgiev allowed seven goals in a Game 1 loss, then gave up a total of eight goals over the next four contests. Any questions about his ability to step up in the playoffs have been put to rest now.

Why Bet on the Dallas Stars?

Dallas trailed its first-round series vs. defending Cup champion Vegas 2-0 won by it in seven games thanks to a 2-1 victory on Sunday night. Radek Faksa scored a goal in his return to the lineup after missing four games because of an undisclosed injury. His go-ahead goal came on a backhander 44 seconds into the third period. Only captain Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin have played longer for the Stars than Faksa, a fourth-liner in his ninth season who got his goal from the circle to the left of goalie Adin Hill. Faksa became the ninth Czech-born player to score the winning goal in a Game 7 and first since David Pastrnak did so against the Maple Leafs on Saturday. The 2024 postseason marks the first to feature multiple Czech-born players achieve the feat.

Dallas also got another Game 7 goal from 20-year-old Wyatt Johnston, who joined Jeremy Roenick as the second player in NHL history to score a goal in each of their first two Game 7’s at the age of 20 or younger. Johnston also became the fourth player age 20 or younger in the past decade to record at least seven points in a playoff series.

Jake Oettinger stopped 22 of 23 shots in the win. Things looked bleak for the Stars after they dropped the first two games of the series, but Oettinger steadied himself and the team by winning four of the last five contests. He’s allowed two or fewer goals in six straight games and owns a 1.95 GAA and a .925 save percentage through seven playoff outings.

The Stars became the second team in NHL history to win a best-of-seven series against the reigning Stanley Cup champions after dropping each of the first two games at home, joining the Avalanche versus the Red Wings in the 1999 Conference Semifinals. The Golden Knights’ defeat Sunday guarantees that there will be a new Stanley Cup champion for the 23rd time in 25 seasons (from 1998-99 to 2023-24).

“Really wanted to win this series. We wanted our turn,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “We felt we did all the right things all year to get the first seed, and then you draw a team like Vegas. I honestly think they’ve got a deeper team than they had last year. To plow through the adversity of being down 2-0, there’s a lot to unpack.”

Avalanche vs. Stars Betting Trends

• Colorado is 5-1 SU in the last 6 games.
• The Avalanche 4-1 SU in its last 5 games against Dallas.
• The total went over in 10 of Colorado’s last 12 games.
• Dallas is 4-1 SU in the last 5 games.
• The Stars are 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado.
• The total went under in 5 of Dallas’ last 6 games.

Avalanche vs. Stars 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 1 Expert Betting Predictions

The Stars should get the win on the road on Tuesday night to take the series lead.

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