Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview

What you need to know ahead of this series between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche:

GAME 1

• When: April 19, 2025 at 5:30 PM PST

• Where: American Airlines Center 

• Watch: TNT, truTV, Max, SN, SN360, TVAS

GAME 2

• When: April 21, 2025 at 6:30 PM PST 

• Where: American Airlines Center 

• Watch: ESPN, SN360, TVAS-D

GAME 3

• When: April 23, 2025 at 6:30 PM PST

• Where: Ball Arena 

• Watch: ESPN, SN360, TVAS 2

GAME 4

• When: April 26, 2025 at 6:30 PM PST

• Where: Ball Arena 

• Watch: TBS, truTV, Max, SN, TVAS

NOTE: Games 5-7 are TBD for each team as they will be scheduled if necessary

The Avs and Stars will face one another in round one of the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs which will kick off on the Stars’ home ice at American Airlines Center. The Avs have had the upper hand when they played against the Stars as they have won two out of the three games played against one another during the 2024-25 regular season. Although the Avs have had the upper hand, the resilience of Stars will be what fuels them in this series.  

Going into the playoffs, the Avs enter with momentum from their 4-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks in their last game of the regular season. The Stars closed out the regular season with a seven-game losing streak. 

The Stars were the second team in the Central Division to clinch a playoff spot after their 5-1 win against the Seattle Kraken on March 29, 2025. They ended the regular season with the following stats: 106 points, a 50-26-6 season record, a 22.82 PP%, an 82.35 PK% and 4 shutouts. #95 Matt Duchene led the Stars with the most points recorded by the end of the regular season. Duchene ended with 82 points which consisted of 30 goals and 52 assists. #21 Jason Robertson led the Stars with the most goals scored by the end of the regular season as he ended with 35 goals. When we look at goaltending, #29 Jake Oettinger led the team with a season record of 36-18-4, a 2.59 GAA, a 0.909 SV%, and 2 shutouts recorded. Goaltender, #1 Casey DeSmith, also had a solid season so far as he ended the regular season with a record of 14-8-1, a 2.59 GAA, a 0.915 SV%, and 2 shutouts recorded.

The Avs were the third team in the Central Division to clinch their spot in the playoffs after their impressive 7-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 3, 2025. They ended the regular season with the following stats: 102 points, a 49-29-4 season record, a 24.68 PP%, a 79.61 PK%, and 5 shutouts. #29 Nathan MacKinnon led the team with the most points recorded as he ended with 116 points which consisted of 32 goals and 84 assists. The first half of the Avs goaltending tandem consisted of #39 Mackenzie Blackwood, who ended the regular season with a record of 28-21-6, a 2.55 GAA, a 0.912 SV%, and 4 shutouts. #41 Scott Wedgewood completed the second half of the Avs goaltending tandem and ended the regular season with a 14-6-2 record, a 2.32 GAA, a 0.908 SV% and 2 shutouts.

Going into this matchup, the Avs ended the regular season with a 24.68 PP% overall power play success rate which is slightly higher compared to Stars’ 22.28% overall power play success rate. The Stars ended the regular season with an 82.35 PK% overall penalty killing success rate which is higher compared to the Avs’ 79.61 PK% penalty killing success rate. When they played against one another during the regular season, the Avs outscored (13 G vs. 9 G), outshot (103 SOG vs. 83 SOG), and delivered more hits than the Stars (65 hits vs. 57 hits). On average from their previous three games, the Stars have a higher faceoff percentage (55.10% vs. 46.57%) and a higher power play success rate (33% vs. 24.43%) compared to the Avs. 

The Stars, despite their previous challenges against the Avs in the regular season, go into these match-ups with determination in order to secure their spot in the second round. On the other hand, the Avs go into these match-ups confident to make it far in the playoffs especially with the chance of Captain Gabriel Landeskog's highly anticipated debut being plausible.

Come back to read the Game Recaps of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs!