Stars vs Avalanche Series Preview, Prediction & Schedule

• The Colorado Avalanche are the -140 series favorite in their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoff series vs the Dallas Stars
• This is a rematch of their 2024 second-round series
• Read below for Stars vs Avalanche series odds, preview, schedule and prediction

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Thank or hate the hockey gods (or the current NHL playoff setup) for this one: there might not be a more ridiculous Round 1 matchup in the NHL Playoffs, when the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche kick off their series on Saturday. These are two of the top three teams in the 2025 Stanley Cup odds, with Colorado leading the way with +800 odds at DraftKings. You can also find Dallas at that number over at Bet365 and Caesars, but their best total is at +900 at DraftKings.

Hard to imagine that a team that finished with the fourth-most points in the regular season and second-most in the West is somehow the betting underdog in an opening-round playoff series. Alas, that will happen when you’re facing Colorado, who finished just four points back of Dallas. It’s the marquee matchup in Round 1 of the NHL Playoff Bracket, and we’ll look at the series odds, schedule, and offer my early Stars vs Avalanche prediction.

Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche Series Odds

In the Stars vs Avalanche series odds, the books like Colorado, setting them as -140 favorites to advance to Round 2. That’s an implied win probability of 58.33%.

Odds as of April 17, 2025, at DraftKings Sportsbook. Claim the DraftKings promo code to bet on the NHL Playoffs.

Stars vs Avalanche Series Schedule

This series gets started on Saturday, with Dallas holding home-ice advantage in this series. American networks TNT and ESPN alternate coverage, while folks in Canada will be able to catch this series on SportsNet.

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Stars’ Rantanen Faces Former Team

This is a rematch only by name, as the Stars dumped the Avalanche in Round 2 last year to get to the Western Conference Finals.

Perhaps the biggest change is that Mikko Rantanen is now on the Stars. A pending UFA, the Avalanche dealt him to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a 3-team deal in January. Dallas got their hands on him in March around the trade deadline, inking him to a massive 8-year, $96 million extension.

The guy is already a proven playoff performer: Rantanen averages 1.25 points per game, putting him in some rarified air, tied with Mark Messier for sixth in NHL history among players that have played at least 74 games. He was also a Stars demolisher, putting up six goals and 17 points in 14 playoff games against Dallas.

Now, he’s got the built-in incentive of playing a team that didn’t want to ante up.

Another key Dallas player that just returned to the lineup is Tyler Seguin. After missing 58 games with a hip injury, he returned in Dallas’ regular season finale. Reunited with linemates Mason Marchemnt and Matt Duchene, he assisted on Marchment’s goal just 16 seconds into the first period.

That should only help a team that was already ranked third in goals for this season.

Avalanche Re-Tooled Around MacKinnon, Makar

I think the main reason Colorado is the betting favorite is that Nathan MacKinnon is the best player in this series. He finished with 32 goals and 116 points this year second in the NHL to Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov.

They’re also blessed with arguably the best defenseman in hockey in Cale Makar. He puts up an average 1.11 points per game in the playoffs, second in NHL history to Bobby Orr among defensemen all-time. He led NHL defensemen with 30 goals and 92 points.

While both have to show up to get Colorado out of Round 1, the Avs have re-shaped their roster on the fly to get to this point, and how those guys get into the playoff flow might be just as important.

Their goalie tandem is an in-season retool with Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. They also added blueliners Erik Johnson and Ryan Lindgren, as well as forwards Charlie Coyle, Jack Drury, Martin Necas and Brock Nelson.

Perhaps the biggest news, though, is that captain Gabriel Landeskog (remember him?) could be returning this series after missing three seasons with a knee injury. It would be his first game action since June 26, 2022, when the Avs beat the Lighting in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Stars vs Avalanche Series Prediction

Again, this matchup in Round 1 is more like a Western Conference Final. Colorado is one of the few teams in the league that can match Dallas’ scoring, as they rank sixth in the league at 3.33 goals per game.

They also own the advantage with the powerplay, operating at a 24.8% clip, good for ninth in the league. We’ll see how that stacks up with Dallas PK, which ranks fifth and kills at a solid 82% clip.

There’s a legitimate case that both these teams can be playing for the Stanley Cup this year. Colorado is more talented, but Dallas is deeper across the roster. That’s why late injury news may matter.

Stars vs Avalanche Head-to-Head Stats

Stars forward Jason Robertson left the season finale with a lower-body injury, and his status for both the opener and the series are in question. He was the team’s leading goal scorer this year, potting 35 goals.

In a series that should be wildly entertaining and high-drama, even the slightest advantage could be the difference.

DAL-COL Prediction:

• Avalanche Series ML (-140)