29 PIM in 8 games benched Zadorov. His agent agreed with a fan about Toronto
Our take Boston proved they can win without him
Our Avalanche vs Stars prediction: Colorado win the rematch at Ball Arena, 4:2. The Colorado Avalanche won 3:2 in Dallas on Tuesday without Cale Makar, and now host the Dallas Stars on the second night of a back-to-back for both teams. Dallas are without Wyatt Johnston (illness, did not travel) and Matt Duchene. The line makes Colorado 58% favourites; our pick is Colorado to win, overtime included, as analysis only.
| Match | Colorado Avalanche vs Dallas Stars |
|---|---|
| Competition | NHL · Regular season |
| Kick-off | 15 OCT · 01:30 UK |
| Venue | Ball Arena, Denver |
| Our pick | Colorado win · incl. OT · 1.64 · analysis only |
| Our estimate | 59–62% |
| Predicted score | 4:2 |
| Main reason | We think Colorado take this one too: they won in Dallas on Tuesday without Makar, and tonight they are at home against a team missing two centres, Johnston and Duchene. |
Colorado 3-2 in their last 5. Dallas 2-3.
| Attack & defence | COL | DAL |
|---|---|---|
| Wins and losses. | 4-2-0 | 2-3-1 |
| Points % | 66.7% | 41.7% |
| Goal difference per game | +1.67 | +0.33 |
| Shots on goal per game. | 31.2 | 25.0 |
| Shots against | 25.7 | 22.5 |
| Special teams | COL | DAL |
|---|---|---|
| Share of power plays (a player advantage) that end with a goal. | 23.8% | 14.3% |
| Share of opponents’ power plays stopped without conceding. | 80.0% | 85.0% |
| Last season | COL | DAL |
|---|---|---|
| Wins and losses. | 55-16-11 | 50-20-12 |
| Points % | 73.8% | 68.3% |
| Goal difference per game | +1.21 | +0.65 |
| Shots on goal per game. | 33.7 | 25.3 |
| Shots against | 26.1 | 26.2 |
| Share of power plays (a player advantage) that end with a goal. | 17.1% | 28.6% |
| Share of opponents’ power plays stopped without conceding. | 84.6% | 80.3% |
NHL 2026-27 so far, and 2025-26 · NHL stats
Backup goalies expected for both; Dallas without Johnston and Duchene.
Our take Boston proved they can win without him
Our take Dallas need goals tonight, not revenge
The one model we found rates Colorado higher than the line does.
| Source | Pick | Versus us |
|---|---|---|
| DRatings | Colorado 62.5%, projected 3.68 to 2.57 | Same side |
Colorado's shot volume against a Dallas side missing two centres.
4:2 to Colorado is our main score: Colorado outshoot Dallas, as they have all season, Wedgewood holds up as he did last season, and Dallas, without Johnston and Duchene, get little from their second and third lines. The last goal may go into an empty net. 2:3 to Dallas is the alternative, after overtime or in a 2:1: DeSmith steals the game the way Oettinger has in October, the Dallas power play (28.6% last season) scores, and Colorado miss Makar from the blue line. Colorado to win, overtime included, comes in with 4:2, 3:1 or 3:2 in any form and loses with any Dallas win.
Colorado win · incl. OT: why this pick wins
We think Colorado take this one too: they won in Dallas on Tuesday without Makar, and tonight they are at home against a team missing two centres, Johnston and Duchene. The shot count over the season speaks for itself, 31 to 25, and Wedgewood, Colorado's backup, saved .921 last season. Dallas rely on their goalies, and holding off MacKinnon and Necas for a second straight night with DeSmith in net is a harder job. We expect 4:2.
What would change our mind News that Johnston will play for Dallas after all, together with Makar out again for Colorado: then we would expect an even game and look at Dallas +1.5.
| Market | Odds | Break-even |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado win · incl. OT | 1.64 | 61% |
| Dallas win · incl. OT | 2.23 | 44.8% |
| Colorado win in 60 min | 2.13 | 46.9% |
| Draw in 60 min | 4.13 | 24.2% |
| Dallas win in 60 min | 2.88 | 34.7% |
| Dallas +1.5 | 1.50 | 66.7% |
| Colorado −1.5 | 2.61 | 38.3% |
| Over 5.5 goals | 1.75 | 57.1% |
| Under 5.5 goals | 2.08 | 48.1% |
Odds snapshot 14 OCT 05:22 · no bookmaker names
Why our pick could go wrong.
Our pick: Colorado win · incl. OT at 1.64 · analysis only. We expect 4:2, but with both goalies unconfirmed and Makar unclear we are not sure enough of the result to bet on it.
Analysis only, no bet: this match doesn’t count towards ROI.
Our full analysis of the match and the result we expect, without a bet.
We start from the market, then check a statistical model, named previews and our own scenario test against everything that moves the result: lineups, rest, motivation, style and team news. We publish when at least three of the four agree and the pick wins in the main scorelines. A warning sign, such as a back-up goalie or tired legs, moves us to a safer market or leaves the match as analysis only.
No. The pick, odds and time are locked when published. Updates go into the log above.