The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are all set for a crucial Game 5 showdown Monday night, with the series deadlocked at 2-2 and both teams having proven they can win on enemy ice.
Puck drops at 9:30 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The momentum has swung back and forth like a pendulum in this series. Colorado struck first with a road win, then Dallas answered with back-to-back overtime thrillers. The Avs came roaring back in Game 4 with a dominant 4-0 shutout, powered by goals from Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog.
The oddsmakers are giving Colorado a slight edge for Game 5, making them -140 favorites. Dallas comes in as +118 underdogs on their home ice.
MacKinnon has been a fascinating story this series. He exploded out of the gate in Game 1 with two goals and an assist in Colorado’s 5-1 win. Then he went quiet, managing just one goal over the next two games before finding the net again in Game 4.
It’s been an interesting year for the Avalanche superstar. While his 32 regular-season goals might seem low by his standards, MacKinnon still hit the 100-point mark for the third straight season. How? By racking up 84 assists – tied for tops in the NHL.
The big question hanging over Game 5: Which MacKinnon will show up in Dallas?
For those looking at player props, here are three hot tips from SportsLine’s prediction model:
- MacKinnon Under 1.5 points (-184)
- Martin Necas Over 1.5 shots on goal (-190)
- Brock Nelson Over 1.5 shots on goal (-132)
The model’s particularly confident about MacKinnon staying under that points total – he’s done it in nine of his last 10 games against winning teams.
Necas has been firing shots consistently, especially on the road where he’s averaging 2.8 shots over his last 12 away games. Meanwhile, Nelson’s been letting it fly lately with seven shots in just the last two games.
If you’re feeling lucky, combining all three props would give you a +314 payout.
