The Dallas Stars have an opportunity to secure their spot in the next round as they face the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6 on Thursday, holding a 3-2 advantage in the series. Dallas took the series lead after a decisive 6-2 victory in Game 5 against the Avalanche, a team with recent Stanley Cup experience (2022). If the Stars are to clinch the series in Game 6, they must do so on the road in Colorado. Should the series require a seventh game, it would return to Dallas.
According to the latest SportsLine consensus odds, the Avalanche are favored at home with a money line of -193 (a $193 bet wins $100), while the Stars are listed as road underdogs at +160 (a $100 bet wins $160). The total goals for the game is set at 6, with the Over having favorable odds at -120.
Colorado`s roster features several prominent players, none more significant than Nathan MacKinnon, who led the NHL in assists and finished second overall in points during the regular season. MacKinnon has recorded seven points through the first five games of this series, including three points in the Avs` 5-1 win in Game 1. His prop bet for total points in Game 6 is set at 1.5. A crucial element of today`s NHL same-game parlay for the Stars-Avs contest is the SportsLine Projection Model`s 5-star rated pick regarding MacKinnon`s point total.
Below are the SportsLine model`s top three highest-rated player prop selections for Thursday`s Game 6 clash between Dallas and Colorado, along with the potential payout if they are combined into a same-game parlay.
Stars vs. Avalanche Same-Game Parlay (+338)
- Nathan MacKinnon Under 1.5 total points (-146): 5 stars
- Brock Nelson Over 1.5 total shots on goal (-146): 5 stars
- Martin Necas Over 1.5 total shots on goal (-184): 5 stars
All three of the model`s premier prop plays for Game 6 are rated at the maximum 5 stars, and interestingly, all three players are members of the Colorado roster. Let`s start with MacKinnon, arguably the biggest star in this matchup. While he averages 1.4 points per game over the entire series (seven points in five games), this average decreases to just one point per contest over the last four games. The model`s projection for Game 6 specifically forecasts MacKinnon to score only 0.4 points. Furthermore, he has stayed below his total points prop in each of his last five home games, averaging 0.8 points per game during that span. Next is Brock Nelson, who joined Colorado from the New York Islanders via a midseason trade and has tallied two assists in this series. The model strongly endorses the Over on his 1.5 total shots on goal prop, projecting the veteran center to register 2.5 shots. Nelson is averaging 2.2 shots on goal per game in the current series and a higher average of 3.4 shots over his last five home games, having successfully gone Over his prop line in all of those contests. Finally, Martin Necas, another player acquired by the Avalanche near the trade deadline, is also projected to exceed 1.5 shots on goal. The model predicts Necas to record 2.9 shots in Game 6. He has surpassed this prop line in eight of his last 15 games when facing teams with a winning record, averaging 2.7 shots on goal in those matchups.
