The NHL's Frozen Frenzy will feature a marquee matchup on Tuesday as two of the Central Division's biggest contenders meet in a potential playoff preview. The Avalanche and Stars aren't yet in their usual spots atop the division, but Colorado is once again one of the league's most lethal offensive teams, with 26 goals in just five games, while the Stars will counter with one of the league's stingiest defenses.
Both teams are coming off losses: the Stars dropped a tough 2-1 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, while the Avalanche lost a high-scoring affair to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Colorado's biggest flaw this season seems to be keeping the puck out of its own net, and the solution might be to outscore its bad defense and goaltending, which isn't always the right call, especially in the playoffs.
It is always a tight matchup when these two teams meet, as three of the four games last season went to a shootout, and the other was a 2-0 win for the Avalanche. If this one is close again, it's hard to back anyone but Jake Oettinger, who has a 7-3-3 career record against Colorado and has been nearly unbeatable this season, with a 0.74 goals-against average and a .963 save percentage.
Avalanche vs Stars prediction: Stars ML (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable to (-135).
