Dallas Takes Advantage of Colorado without Nichushkin
Stars With 34 Shots on Goal in Game 4, 5-1 Victory; Lead Series 3-1
Ready for the Stars vs Avalanche betting odds? Just before the puck was supposed to drop on game four.
The news came down that former Dallas Stars draft pick, Valeri Nichushkin (9 goals, 1 assist. 8 games) would not be available to the Colorado Avalanche for the next six months and will be placed in stage three of the player assistance program.
That left the Avs with their leading scorer in the postseason and it showed with Colorado managing just one goal in the loss.
Stars vs Avalanche betting odds for game five have the Stars as a definitive -140 favorite with a total of 6.5 under -120. The puck will drop Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT and can be seen on ESPN.
Stars vs Avalanche 
Day/Time:
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Streaming: ESPN
Frustrated Avalanche Must Regroup Fast
If you’re not clear on how valuable Valeri Nichushkin (9 goals, 1 assist, 10 points) is to the Colorado Avalanche, all you have to do is listen to players talk about the loss of their top-line forward.
Veteran Jack Johnson’s (0 playoff points) reaction was short and to the point when he said that Nichushkin made his choices after failing a drug test hours before game four.
Successful bettors possess the ability to read into comments, and our feeling from the room after the game was that not only did their leader choose for himself.
He also made a decision for everyone. Conversely, if this were Dallas, we wouldn’t take the loss as hard because, as you might guess, of the Stars’ depth.
Jared Bednar brought up Arturri Lehkonen (5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points) from the second line to spell Nichushkin, a move that will give Dallas problems.
At the same time create more complications with their depth. Jonathan Drouin (1 assist) moved into Nichushkin’s second-line slot, less than ideal considering the veteran hasn’t played since April 8th.
Drouin’s post-game thoughts were the most uplifting, which makes sense considering he’s the player who now has to step up in his new role after returning from a lower-body injury after a 57-point season.
Colorado’s loss of Nichushkin wasn’t the only hurdle before game four; additionally, the team announced that defenseman Devon Toews, with one goal, five assists, and six points in eight games, would miss the game due to an illness.
Our current NHL power rankings still have the Avalanche ahead of the Stars. However, that’s based on a numerical algorithm that does not factor in key losses. If we use common sense it’s hard to imagine Dallas losing three straight to the Avs after losing a massive piece of their offensive soul.
We continue our Stars vs Avalanche betting odds preview with an in-depth look at Dallas.
It’s Best If Dallas Finishes The Series Now
This is as vulnerable as the Colorado Avalanche has been in the postseason and Pete DeBoer knows it. That means Dallas needs to take away the will of Colorado early in game five.
If the Stars allow Colorado to grab momentum back with a game-five win, DeBoer’s team will have missed out on an opportunity.
The Stars have a chance to not only move on to the conference final. A win tonight would give them some extra time off as they wait for the winner of the Edmonton Oilers / Vancouver Canucks series with Vancouver holding a 2-1 lead with game four on Tuesday.
NHL stats show that Dallas is getting balanced scoring along with a stone wall effort from goaltender Jake Oettinger (7-3-1).
The one who struggled at times in the regular season. Dallas got the best of the final NHL standings against Colorado during the regular season and there’s no reason to think that result won’t be the same in the postseason.
Betting Patterns Offer No Surprise
The Dallas Stars aren’t the only ones smelling blood in the water. Similarly, when the news came out about Nichushkin and Toews, bettors quickly jumped on the Stars. This caused the number to drop 15-20 cents depending on the bookmaker.
Bettors are back in full force for game five with 92% of the early wagers. Those who are coming in on the Stars moneyline and 75% on the puck line (-1.5, +170).
Total bettors will be interested to know that 82% of the money on total is in on the over. Dallas has produced 1.85 units of profit based on a one-unit wager on the back of a 7-4 postseason record.
Over the last six seasons, Dallas owns a 49-41 record against the moneyline, producing 9.30 units. Only the Vancouver Canucks have been more profitable in that span (+10.70). The Avalanche have won 6.63 units and are right behind them.
No matter how much we discuss Colorado’s postseason experience and its potential impact against a team like the Stars, Dallas has proven more bankroll-friendly.
We’re not going against that in game five. Bet on the Stars to end the series but get on it before this number grows. That’s it for our Stars vs Avalanche betting odds preview, all the best with your NHL picks and parlays.
Stars vs Avalanche betting odds
For gambling news, betting odds, analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine
