Avalanche-Stars Game 1 preview: Central Division foes battle for second straight year

The Colorado Avalanche travel to Dallas to take on the Stars in a rematch of last year's Western Conference Semifinals matchup, where the Stars won in six games

BY TRENT FINNEGAN

Apr 19, 2025, 12:32 PM

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The NHL playoffs are here! After a week off, the Colorado Avalanche are back in action against the Dallas Stars as they begin the chase to a fourth Stanley Cup. This is the third playoff series the two have played against each other since 2020, and the Stars won both of the previous matchups (4-3 2020 Western Conference Semifinals, 4-2 2024 Western Conference Semifinals). This series will look much different than the regular season battles the teams shared, as only one matchup came after the trade deadline.

These are two of the nine teams to eclipse the 100-point mark in the regular season, and this matchup is just one of two first round series that feature two teams who hit the 100-point tally (Los Angeles versus Edmonton).

This series will also be more emotional than a traditional first-round series, as the Stars added Mikko Rantanen, one of the most beloved players in Avalanche history, at the trade deadline. The news of him signing in Dallas for a contract that was near what the Avalanche wanted rubbed many people the wrong way, and even further so when he signed with a division rival. He and Matt Duchene, who requested a trade and was dealt out of Colorado in 2017, will receive a large smattering of boos every time the puck is on their stick in the games at Ball Arena.

How to watch Game 1 of Avalanche-Stars

Game 1 will be broadcast on TNT and TruTV with puck drop scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Denver time. It will also be streamed on MAX.

View the full series schedule here.

Odds for Game 1 of Avalanche-Stars

Moneylines: Avalanche -146, Stars +122

Puck lines: Avalanche -1.5 (+205), Stars +1.5 (-164)

Total: 5.5

The Avalanche weren’t favored in any of the three games played in Dallas in last year’s matchup, but were favored in every road matchup against Winnipeg in the first round. In the three games the two teams have played against each other this season, the over has hit every time with an average of eight goals per game.

Projected lines for Game 1 of Avalanche-Stars

Avalanche
Lehkonen – MacKinnon – Nichushkin
Drouin – Nelson – Necas
Kiviranta – Coyle – Colton
Kelly – Drury – O’Connor

Makar – Towes
Girard – Manson
Malinski – Lindgren

Blackwood
Wedgewood

Stars
Granlund – Hintz – Dadonov
Marchment – Duchene – Seguin
Benn – Johnston – Rantanen
Back – Steel – Borque

Lindell – Ceci
Harley – Lyubushkin
Bichsel – Petrovic

Oettinger
DeSmith

Injury notes/report for Game 1 of Avalanche-Stars

Avalanche
Gabriel Landeskog’s status is still up in the air for Game 1, as head coach Jared Bednar did not confirm whether or not he will play. Bednar said at practice on Friday that Landeskog will be an option for the Avs throughout the series. He completed a successful conditioning stint with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL recently in which he played in back-to-back games, averaging around 15 minutes per night. Landeskog skated well, showed physicality and scored a goal in his stint. It has been almost three years since he last played, and almost five years since he first suffered his initial injury.

Ryan Lindgren has been fighting an injury and did not participate in Avalanche practice on Friday, but he is a go for Saturday’s game.

Josh Manson, who has been on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury that he suffered on March 14, will be active for Game 1. Jonathan Drouin, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen all who have been listed as day-to-day throughout the week, will be good to go as well. The Avalanche have a handful of healthy scratches as well, including Erik Johnson, Keaton Middleton, Miles Wood and Jimmy Vesey.

Stars
Jason Robertson injured his knee in the Stars’ season finale on Wednesday night and will not play in Saturday’s matchup. Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said that the forward will be week-to-week going forward. Miro Heiskanen, who has been out since January with a knee injury, is out for Game 1 but could make a return later in the series. Nils Lundkvist, a defenseman who played just over four minutes a game in last year’s series, is on the injured reserve and out for the season.

Matchup to watch for Game 1 of Avalanche-Stars

Jake Oettinger vs. Mackenzie Blackwood, the battle of the goalies, will be important to set the tone for the series. Blackwood has not played against the Stars this season as a member of the Avalanche (he was in the net for San Jose against Dallas back in October), and has never appeared in a playoff game before. On the other hand, Oettinger is one of the best goaltenders in the league, and has shown his ability to rise to the occasion in big-time playoff games.

This season, Blackwood posted a .913 save percentage in 37 games he appeared in with the Avalanche, while Oettinger posted a .909 save percentage. In the most recent game they played in March, the only matchup of the season that accurately resembles what the teams will look like in the series, Oettinger let up four goals in an overtime loss.