The Stanley Cup playoffs are heating up with a massive Game 1 showdown between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars on Saturday. These Central Division rivals know each other well, with Colorado holding a slight edge after winning two of their three meetings this season.
Dallas finished strong with 106 points, good for third in the Western Conference. Colorado wasn’t far behind at 102 points.
The real story here? Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche superstar was absolutely dominant this year, racking up 116 points and 84 assists to finish second in NHL scoring.
Even though they’re on the road, the Avs are favored to win. The oddsmakers have Colorado at -152, while Dallas comes in as +127 underdogs on their home ice.
Want some interesting stats? MacKinnon’s been on fire lately, especially against top defenses. He’s averaging nearly 5 shots per game in his last eight matchups against winning teams with strong D.
Here’s what’s really catching everyone’s attention – three players to watch for shots on goal:
• MacKinnon (over 3.5 shots)
• Brock Nelson (over 1.5 shots)
• Martin Necas (over 1.5 shots)
Speaking of Nelson, he’s been quite a pickup for Colorado since coming over from the Islanders. He’s been lighting it up on the road, averaging 3.6 shots in his last five away games against winning teams.
Necas has been pretty consistent too, putting up about 3 shots per game in recent road matchups.
The over/under for total goals is set at 6.5, suggesting we might see some fireworks in this one.
These numbers aren’t just random guesses – they’re backed by some serious number-crunching. Each game gets simulated 10,000 times to come up with these predictions.
If you’re thinking about betting, combining these three shot predictions into a parlay would pay out at +357. That means a $100 bet would win you $357 if all three hit.
The playoffs are where stars really shine, and with MacKinnon leading the charge, this could be the start of something special for Colorado.
