Game 2 Avalanche vs Stars Prediction, Odds & Prop Picks (May. 9)

May 7, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) and Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) look for the puck at center ice during the first period in game one of the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

• The Dallas Stars are favored over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 2
• We’ve made our Stars vs. Avalanche prediction for Thursday’s Game 2
• Read below for Game 2 Avalanche vs Stars prediction, odds and picks tonight

The Dallas Stars host the Colorado Avalanche in a pivotal Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Thursday night. The puck drops at 9:30 p.m. ET from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, with the game televised nationally on TNT.

The Stars are favored at -135 odds, implying a 57.4% probability of evening the series at one game apiece. The Avalanche are +114 underdogs after their incredible comeback from down 3-0 to win Game 1 by a 4-3 score in overtime.

Avalanche vs Stars Prediction

We’ve made our Avalanche vs Stars prediction for Game 2, riding with the home team to even the series 1-1.

My Game 2 Best Bets

I’m backing the Stars to bounce back and win Game 2 on home ice. While the Avalanche’s offensive firepower is impressive, averaging 5.33 goals per game in the playoffs, the Stars can’t afford to go down 0-2 in the series before it shifts to Colorado.

Look for Stars coach Pete DeBoer to make the necessary adjustments to slow down Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the potent Avalanche attack that has scored at least four goals in all six of their playoff games. The Stars need to play a full 60 minutes of strong defensive hockey in front of goalie Jake Oettinger.

At the other end, the Stars’ top offensive players like Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin must step up and generate more scoring chances. That group was relatively quiet in Game 1 outside of Benn’s two early points.

If the Stars can stay out of the penalty box and not allow the Avalanche’s lethal power play (44% in playoffs) to get rolling, they have a great chance to even the series. Dallas was one of the best defensive teams in the regular season, allowing just 2.62 goals per game.

Lay the short moneyline price with the Stars in a virtual must-win spot. The Avalanche’s comeback in Game 1 was impressive, but it’s tough to see them going up 2-0 in a series against a team that was neck-and-neck with them in the regular season standings. Back the Stars to get the job done.

COL vs DAL Pick:

• Stars ML (-135 at DraftKings)

Avalanche vs Stars Odds

The Stars are -135 moneyline favorites, while the Avalanche are +115 underdogs. The total is set at 6.5 goals, with the under juiced to -122 odds. That implies a 55% probability of six goals or fewer being scored.

A key reason the Stars are favored in this series is their superior depth and the goaltending edge with Oettinger over the Avs’ Alexandar Georgiev. If they can get back to their stingy defensive structure and generate more offensive zone time, the Stars should be able to even this series on home ice.

The Avalanche’s high-flying offense makes the over tempting, but look for the Stars to clamp down defensively in a must-win spot. Dallas likely can’t win a track meet against Colorado, so expect a tighter-checking, lower-scoring affair.

COL – DAL Player Props

Colorado vs Dallas player props are available, with Nathan MacKinnon being the odds-on favorite to score at -115 odds.

Artturi Lehkonen Over 2.5 shots (-115 via DraftKings)

Lehkonen is averaging 3.7 shots per game in the playoffs and has gone over 2.5 shots in four of six contests. He’s due for a resurgent shooting performance after being held to one and two shots in his last two games.

Jamie Benn Over 0.5 points (-115 via BetMGM):

The Stars captain had two points in the first 17 minutes of Game 1 and has four points in four regular-season games against the Avalanche this year. Benn needs another solid performance for Dallas to avoid a 2-0 series deficit.

Avalanche vs Stars Injury Report

The Avalanche will be without several key players for Game 2 and likely the rest of the series:

• Forward Jonathan Drouin is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury
• Winger Joel Kiviranta is questionable with a lower-body issue
• Captain Gabriel Landeskog is out for the season after knee surgery
• Depth forward Logan O’Connor is also done for the year following hip surgery

Drouin’s absence in particular takes away some scoring depth for Colorado. However, the Avs’ incredible top-end talent has stepped up to carry the offensive load.

On the Stars side, defenseman Jani Hakanpaa remains out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. Forwards Mason Marchment (undisclosed) and Jerad Rosburg (undisclosed) are also sidelined. The bigger concern for Dallas is the heavy workload being given to their top defensemen.

The Stars are playing Nils Lundkvist less than five minutes per game, which could lead to fatigue for Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and others as the series progresses, especially after a long seven-game series against Vegas.

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