There’ll be plenty of star power on the ice for Game 5 between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars.
The pregame narrative: Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are pacing the Avs in shots in this series. Both are solid candidates to top their props at plus-money odds.
Check out my Avalanche vs. Stars picks for Game 5 of the opening round.
Avalanche vs. Stars picks
Best Bet: MacKinnon over 4.5 shots (+115)
Few players can take over a game like MacKinnon.
The forward’s combination of size, speed and skill makes him one of the most dominating forces in the game.
He’s flexing his offensive prowess against one of the NHL’s stingiest defensive squads in Dallas. MacKinnon leads the Avs in:
- Goals: 4
- Points: 5
- Shots: 24
The latter is truly impressive — MacKinnon led all skaters by five shots entering Sunday’s NHL action.
Dallas is really struggling to contain him and the Avalanche as a whole in this series. Colorado leads the playoffs in shots per game (34.5)
The Stars, as a result, are also ceding the third-most expected goals per 60 in the playoffs per Natural Stat Trick (13.86).
It doesn’t seem like Dallas will be able to contain MacKinnon, and betting him to top his shot prop seems like the right play.
Key stat: MacKinnon has five-plus shots in five of his last eight games.
Game 5 prop prediction
Makar over 3.5 shots (+125): A lot of the same reasoning that goes into backing MacKinnon applies here.
Makar is another Avalanche star who isn’t struggling to put pucks on goal. He’s second on the Avs with shots, topping this prop in two of four games during this series.
He, like the rest of the team, should continue peppering Jake Oettinger with shots. Dallas, after all, did cede the ninth-most shots per game in the regular season (29.0).
Makar has taken at least nine shot attempts in all four games of this series. He’ll continue to put a steady stream of pucks towards the goal and be a great pick to cash this wager at plus-money odds.
Avalanche vs. Stars prop picks made at 3:46 p.m. ET on 04/27/2025.
Stevie’s an avid NFL, NHL, and tennis bettor who has no problem talking himself into the underdog. His previous stops include Yahoo! Sports Canada and Toronto Metropolitan University, where he received a degree in Sport Media.