Dallas is my pick to win the west and they should start fast against a team in Colorado that is very top heavy. This is simply a play that Nate McKinnon won’t continue to go crazy

I was hoping to lock this in at 6, but I was a little late. Still, I feel good about this game getting to 7+ goals. The Avs were incredible on the offensive end in their first round series, and Val Nichuskin has added another layer to an already lethal attack. Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, and Nathan MacKinnon are as good as any trio in the league, and they completely embarrassed the best goalie in the NHL this year, in Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck. Colorado's goalie situation is unclear heading into Game 1, and I do expect Dallas to have plenty of success on that end as well. Getting this number at plus-money is an added bonus. Bonus: I'll post my SGP on Twitter this afternoon.

Alexandar Georgiev wasn't on the ice for Colorado's morning skate, so there is a bit of uncertainty on the Avs' side. Still, there is A LOT to like about Colorado's chances here. The Stars went seven games (G7 was on Sunday) against a physical Vegas team, while the Avs have had a full week of rest. Colorado was dominant against the Jets in Round 1 and look like a team that is dialed in and motivated to make another deep run. Plus...the Avs want revenge for Dallas knocking them out of the playoffs in the second round in 2020.

Momentum is hard to quantify, and the Stars will try to keep the hot hand after a hard-fought seven-game series win against Vegas. This is the shortest price on the Stars at home against Colorado this season, and I believe oddsmakers are overvaluing the Avs' rest advantage. Dallas' depth was on full display as Peter DeBoer leaned into all four lines to play a valuable role in erasing a 2-0 deficit in the opening round. Colorado has star power in spades, but the Avs' blue line leaves much to be desired and I still have questions about Alexandar Georgiev especially after a layoff. I look for Dallas to pick up where it left off Sunday and get a big series-opening victory.

This is by far the series I'm most excited to take in, as both of these sides most definitely can win the Stanley Cup. I'm expecting goals here to get us going, Game 1s have been a bit more wide open this postseason while both sides figure each other out. The Avalanche's three road games in these playoffs have averaged 9.67 goals per game, and six straight meetings between these two have yielded 6+ goals, averaging 8.67 goals per game Enjoy the show, this series should be a treat.

We don't expect this series to pace like the Stars' opening-round grinder against VGK, which featured only five goals across the last two games combined and a succession of low-scoring battles. We're not sure Godzilla and King Kong combined could slow down the Avs, who scored at least five goals in each of their games in the first-round romp past Winnipeg, when Jared Bednar saw 12 of his players score goals. All of those games vs. the Jets went "over" and did each of the regular-season meetings vs. the Stars, so hang onto your hats in Big D tonight! Play Avs-Stars "Over"