Avalanche-Stars Game 2 preview: Avs look to stifle Stars offense again, steal another road game

The Colorado Avalanche are back in action for Game 2 against the Dallas Stars on Monday night, and are looking to steal another game down in the Lone Star State

BY TRENT FINNEGAN

Apr 21, 2025, 10:23 AM Updated: 11:32 am

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The Colorado Avalanche pulled away from the Dallas Stars in the third period of Game 1 to take home-ice advantage and a 1-0 series lead. The 5-1 victory was highlighted by a lucky goal from Artturi Lehkonen, a collection of fantastic saves from Mackenzie Blackwood and a D-to-D goal, the Avs were flying all over the ice in the series-opener.

Nathan MacKinnon was everywhere for Colorado in Game 1, scoring two goals and recording an assist en route to being the game’s first star. He looked hungry to make a deep playoff push, and the rest of his team followed suit.

The Avs lost Ross Colton in Game 1 to an undisclosed injury that head coach Jared Bednar did not have an update for. Good news for Colorado, they have a guy by the name of Gabriel Landeskog, who has played a lot of playoff hockey in his career, who is ready to step in and replace Colton if needed.

How to watch Game 2 of Avalanche-Stars

Game 1 will be broadcast on ESPN and Altitude TV with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Denver time.

View the full series schedule here.

Odds for Game 2 of Avalanche-Stars

Moneylines: Avalanche -146, Stars +122

Puck lines: Avalanche -1.5 (+210), Stars +1.5 (-168)

Total: 6.5

The Avalanche covered both the money line and the puck line in a 5-1 victory over the Stars in Game 1. The over seemed to have no chance until a flurry of goals late in the game helped push it over its line of 5.5. The over has hit in all four matchups between the two teams this season.

Projected lines for Game 2 of Avalanche-Stars

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

Makar – Towes
Girard – Manson
Johnson – Lindgren

Blackwood
Wedgewood

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

Lindell – Ceci
Harley – Lyubushkin
Bichsel – Petrovic

Oettinger
DeSmith

Injury notes/report for Game 2 of Avalanche-Stars

Avalanche
Ross Colton suffered an injury in Game 1 that limited him to just 13 shifts and seven minutes on the ice. Jared Bednar said that Colton was not feeling good at morning skate on Monday, signaling that he is likely to be out for Game 2. Miles Wood and Jimmy Vesey, who were both healthy scratches in Saturday’s win, could also be a replacement for Colton. Wood did not skate on Monday morning, while both Landeskog and Vesey got some extra work in.

Stars
Miro Heiskanen did participate in morning skate before Monday’s contest, but is still listed as being on the injured reserve. He did not partake in any rushes and was just doing solo workouts on the side. Jason Robertson has not received an update after being listed as week-to-week with a knee injury heading into the series. Nils Lundkvist is also still on the injured reserve.

Matchup to watch for Game 2 of Avalanche-Stars

The battle of the third lines. In Game 1, the Avs’ third line of Joel Kiviranta, Charlie Coyle and Ross Colton (who was filled by various fourth-liners due to injury) was a +2 on the night with a beautiful goal from Coyle to blossom the lead to four towards the end of the contest. They brought physicality in the defensive zone while doing what they needed to do in the offensive zone to not put the Avs in a hole while the top two lines were catching their breath.

For the Stars, their third line, headlined by former Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen, was a -2 in Saturday’s game and practically invisible when out on the ice. Rantanen played the third-most minutes out of any forward on the team, but had just three shot attempts all night long. He will most likely be paired with Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston again on Monday on a line that’s hungry to make a bigger impact this time around.