The Dallas Stars will host the Colorado Avalanche is what promises to be an exciting Game 7 in the Stanley Cup playoffs first round. The home team has won each of the last three games of this series, with the Avalanche rallying out of a 4-3 hole in the third period of Game 6 to tie the series up with a 7-4 victory. Puck drop for Saturday’s pivotal game at American Airlines Center in Dallas is 8 p.m. ET.
Colorado is a -164 favorite on the money line (risk $164 to win $100) in the latest Stars vs. Avalanche odds, while Dallas is a +138 underdog (risk $100 to win $138). The over/under for total goals scored is 5.5, and the Avalanche are also -1.5 (+157) on the puck line. Before making any Stars vs. Avalanche picks, be sure to see the NHL predictions from SportsLine’s proven model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times. It enters the second full week of the 2025 NHL playoffs a combined 78-55 on top-rated NHL puck line and over/under betting picks, returning more than $1,500 for $100 players. Anybody following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.
Now, here are its best bets for Stars vs. Avalanche on Saturday:
Stars +1.5 on the puck line (-190)
The Stars have covered the puck line three times in this series, twice at home. Dallas is also 5-3 in Game 7s at home while Colorado is 2-5 as the Game 7 road team. Mackenzie Blackwood got the shutout for the Avs in Dallas in Game 4 but also allowed four or more goals three times this series and is inexperienced when it comes to Game 7 scenarios. The SportsLine model has the Stars keeping this game close, projecting they will cover the puck line in almost 80% of simulations.
You’ve seen one of the best bets for Avalanche vs. Stars on Saturday. Now, get picks for every game from the model that ended the season going a combined 77-53 on over/under and puck-line picks.
Nathan MacKinnon anytime goal-scorer (+100)
MacKinnon didn’t pepper Jake Oettinger with shots in Game 6 like he had earlier in the series, but he still found the back of the net. The forward has scored at least one goal in five of those six games, including the game-winning goal on Thursday night in Colorado. DraftKings Sportsbook lists MacKinnon as an anytime goal-scorer at +100.
Want more NHL picks for the weekend? Matt Severance is SportsLine’s No. 1 NHL expert, entering the NHL playoffs on a 120-62 roll on NHL sides picks, returning $2,490 for $100 players. See his best bet for this matchup at SportsLine.
1st period goal in the first 10 minutes (-142)
Game 1 was an outlier because no one buried the puck in the first 20 minutes of play. The game-opening goal has been scored within the first 10 minutes in four of the next five games, and as early as Wyatt Johnston putting the Stars up 1-0 nine second into Game 5. This prop bet is priced at -142 at FanDuel Sportsbook.
