- What: NHL Western Conference Playoffs First Round Game 3
- When: April 23, 2025
- Who: Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche
- Time: 6:30 p.m. PST
- Where: Ball Arena (Denver, CO)
The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche will play Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Wednesday. The puck drops at 6:30 p.m. PST at Ball Arena in Denver.
The series is currently tied at 1-1. The Stars experienced a tough start, losing 5-1 in the series opener on Saturday, but made a strong comeback with a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory on Monday.
In that game, Dallas was trailing 3-2 entering the third period but managed to tie it with a goal from right winger Evgenii Dadonov before clinching the win on a goal from center Colin Blackwell 18 minutes into overtime.
Colorado, which won 2 out of 3 matchups against the Stars during the regular season, returns home for Game 3. The Avalanche posted a solid home record of 26 wins, 12 losses, and 3 overtime losses during the regular season.
However, they struggled against the Stars in last year’s playoffs, losing all three home games in that second-round series.
In goal for the Stars will be Jake Oettinger, who boasts a regular-season record of 36-18-4, a 2.59 GAA, .909 SV%, and 2 shutouts. Oettinger allowed 4 goals in the first game but rebounded with a strong performance in Game 2, saving 34 of 37 shots.
At just 26 years old, he has valuable playoff experience, including a .911 SV% in last year’s series against Colorado and an overall—914 SV% in 49 career postseason games.
Mackenzie Blackwood will be in the net for Colorado. After making his playoff debut in the series opener, he has a .921 SV% through the first two games, despite struggling towards the end of the regular season with a .867 SV% in his last four games.
The trend points towards overs in recent matchups between Dallas and Colorado, with the over cashing in four of the last five games.
The statistics suggest a potential for more scoring, especially given the expected goal figures at 5-on-5 and the recent efficiency of both teams on special teams—the Avalanche have scored power-play goals in their last four games.
Best Bet: Over 6.5 goals at -105 odds
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
