Avalanche vs. Stars Game 6 Prediction
Game 6 of the NHL Western Conference second round between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars is tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET in Edmonton. Can the Avalanche force a Game 7 or will the Stars eliminate Colorado tonight?
Game Snapshot
Who: Colorado Avalanche (42-20-8) vs. Dallas Stars (37-24-8)
What: NHL Western Conference Playoffs, 2nd Round
When: Wednesday, September 2nd, 8:00 p.m. ET
Odds: Avalanche (-125)/Stars (+105) O/U 6
Public Betting: Find out which sides are betting in this matchup at our NHL Public Betting Page
Colorado Avalanche DFS Spin
Michael Hutchinson stopped 31 of 34 shots in Monday’s 6-3 win over Dallas in Game 5. The Avalanche came into an elimination game with their third-string netminder between the pipes, as both Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz are unfit to play right now. Winning with Hutchinson in goal was going to be a tough task, but the Avs took care of that by scoring five goals in the first period and never looking back. Two of the three goals the veteran netminder allowed came while the Stars were on the power play. The 30-year-old may have to start another elimination game on Wednesday night. The Avs still trail this best-of-seven series 3-2.
Dallas Stars DFS Spin
Ben Bishop was pulled in Monday’s 6-3 loss to Colorado in Game 5. Bishop made a surprise start tonight, but he didn’t look comfortable at all after going 18 days between games. Whatever injury was plaguing him seemed to be hampering his ability to perform tonight. He was given the hook after allowing four goals on 19 shots in under 14 minutes. The loss wasn’t just on the veteran’s shoulders, but starting him over Anton Khudobin could be a decision that head coach Rick Bowness ends up regretting in the long run. Bishop now has a 1-2 record with a 5.43 goals-against-average and a .844 save percentage this postseason. There’s no guarantee that he’ll start Game 6 on Wednesday night. Dallas still has a 3-2 lead in this best-of-seven series.
NHL Playoffs Betting Prediction
The Aves have too much firepower to go down in six games to a Stars team that can’t match Colorado’s speed. Nathan MacKinnon is coming off a huge Game 5, picking up a goal and an assist in Monday’s 6-3 win and he’ll be a handful again tonight for Dallas’ defense. MacKinnon is riding an incredible 13-game point streak and has tallied at least one point in every game since the NHL has resumed play in Canada. He also has eight goals and 23 points in 13 games.
Meanwhile, Andre Burakovsky has five goals in his last three playoff games when his team faces elimination, as well as eight goals in his last seven contests. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Burakovsky tally a goal or a helper tonight against Bishop or Khudobin (as of this writing, we don’t know who will start in net for the Stars).
Given the uncertainty in net for Dallas, I can’t pass on the Aves’ money line odds at -125.
2020 NHL POSTSEASON PREDICTION: COLORADO AVALANCHE -125
