March 5, 2026, 11:54 p.m. ET

The Colorado Avalanche (41-10-9) visit the Dallas Stars (38-14-9) for a Friday battle between the top 2 teams in the Central Division standings. The contest at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, will start at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Avalanche vs. Stars odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

Season series: Dallas leads 1-0, a 5-4 shootout win Oct. 11

Colorado has had 2 rest days since routing the Anaheim Ducks 5-1 (Under 6.5) in a Tuesday road tilt. The Avalanche are 2-0-0 on a trip that started at the LA Kings Monday. Colorado is 4-0-0 across its last 4 road games and 5-1-0 in its last 6 games overall.

Dallas also played its most recent game Tuesday. The streaking Stars won by a 6-1 score for a second straight night by clocking an easy win at the +106 Calgary Flames a day after beating the Vancouver Canucks. Dallas heads into Friday’s contest on a 10-game winning streak, and have outscored opponents 43-23 over that stretch.

Watch the NHL on Fubo!Avalanche at Stars odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 11:48 p.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Avalanche -120 (bet $120 to win $100) | Stars +100 (bet $100 to win $100)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Avalanche -1.5 (+195) | Stars +1.5 (-235)Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -110 | U: -110)Avalanche at Stars projected goalies

Mackenzie Blackwood (18-6-1, 2.22 GAA, .916 SV%) vs. Jake Oettinger (25-10-4, 2.67 GAA, .898 SV%)

Blackwood stopped 19 of 21 in his last start Monday vs. Kings. He owns a sparkling .939 SV% over his last 6 games. He’s 0-4-1 with a 3.60 GAA in 5 career games vs. Dallas.

Oettinger saw just 14 shots in his last start Monday at the Vancouver Canucks. He filed 13 saves and owns a .927 SV% across 2 starts since the Olympics break. He’s 6-3-2 with a 3.20 GAA in 11 games vs. Colorado.

Avalanche at Stars picks and predictionsPrediction

Stars 4, Avalanche 3

Dallas has won 6 in a row at American Airlines Arena.

The Avs have allowed just 2 even-strength goals across 3 games since the break. Advanced metrics peg that stinginess involving quite a bit of puck luck. And Colorado’s schedule gets much tougher in this test at Dallas.

The Stars’ special teams have been productive going back to January. And in even-strength play, Dallas has been cranking out a slew of high-danger looks. Oettinger owns a career save percentage of .910 against Colorado, and he hasn’t lost at home since Jan. 18.

Including playoff meetings, Dallas is 5-2-0 over its last 7 games against Colorado. BACK THE STARS (+100) in this one.

Better value to be found on the ML: PASS.

The last 9 Star’s games have resulted in a 6-3 mark for the Over.

The Avs have scored 4-plus goals in 4 of their last 6 while the Stars have tallied 4-plus in 5 of their last 6. Both sides have 5-on-5 expected-goals figures that make for a lean toward more scoring.

The OVER 6 (-110) is a solid play.

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