Colorado has scored 23 goals in four games. Dallas has conceded six in four. One of those numbers gives.
Stars vs Avalanche is the best game on Tuesday’s board on merit, and it brings Mikko Rantanen up against the club he spent a decade with.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Game | Colorado Avalanche at Dallas Stars |
| Date | Tuesday 13 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 8:30pm ET · 7:30pm CT · 6:30pm MT · 5:30pm PT |
| Venue | American Airlines Center, Dallas |
| 2025-26 head to head | Two wins each, all four to the away team |
| Records | Colorado 3-1-0, Dallas 2-2-0 |
| Goals | Colorado 23 for, 11 against; Dallas 10 for, 6 against |
| Rest | Colorado with 2 days off, Dallas with 2 days off |
How to watch
| Region | Broadcast |
|---|---|
| Canada | SN+, TVA Sports |
| United States | ESPN |
SN+ and TVA Sports have it in Canada. Regional coverage can differ from the national listing, and our how to watch the NHL in Canada page has the full picture.
Stars vs Avalanche odds
No Canadian price was up on 9 October. Boards land on our NHL odds page, and the projected starters are on our NHL starting goalies page.
Nobody is scoring like Colorado
Twenty-three goals in four games. Eight against Los Angeles, six against St Louis, seven in Calgary. Nathan MacKinnon has eight points and Cale Makar six from the blue line.
Jaden Schwartz has six points and Parker Kelly five, which is the depth that makes Colorado hard to defend. Nazem Kadri, who arrived from Calgary last season, is chipping in behind them.
Scott Wedgewood made his first start of the season in Calgary and won. Mackenzie Blackwood has the other three at .895, so the crease is shared rather than settled.
Colorado won the Presidents’ Trophy last season on 121 points with a goal difference of plus 99.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | Colorado Avalanche | Dallas Stars |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 55-16-11 | 50-20-12 |
| Points | 121 | 112 |
| Goals for per game | 3.63 | 3.33 |
| Goals against per game | 2.40 | 2.71 |
| Power play | 17.1% | 28.6% |
| Penalty kill | 84.6% | 80.3% |
Nine points separated these clubs last season and both finished top four in the West.
Dallas is winning the other way
Jake Oettinger has a .967 save percentage. Six goals conceded in four games is the best mark in the league, and he has taken three of the starts.
Mikko Rantanen leads the scoring with six points. He spent most of his career in Colorado before the move and knows this opponent better than anyone in the building.
Wyatt Johnston has four assists, Roope Hintz three points and Jason Robertson three. Ten goals in four games is modest, but Dallas has not needed more.
Matt Duchene is on injured reserve, which thins the middle behind Hintz.
All four meetings last season went to the away team
| Date | Result | Venue | Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-11 | Dallas 5-4 Colorado | Colorado | 9 |
| 2026-03-06 | Dallas 4-5 Colorado | Dallas | 9 |
| 2026-03-18 | Dallas 2-1 Colorado | Colorado | 3 |
| 2026-04-04 | Dallas 0-2 Colorado | Dallas | 2 |
Two wins each, the home side lost every one, and three of the four went to a shootout.
Team news
| Player | Club | Status | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logan O’Connor | Colorado | Injured Reserve, Lower Body | No timetable |
| Georgii Merkulov | Colorado | Injured Reserve, Undisclosed | No timetable |
| Trent Miner | Colorado | Injured Reserve, Undisclosed | No timetable |
| Matt Duchene | Dallas | Injured Reserve, Undisclosed | No timetable |
| Joel Kiviranta | Dallas | Out, Undisclosed | No timetable |
Neither club is missing anyone from its top six beyond Duchene. League-wide availability is on our NHL injury report.
Players to watch
Jake Oettinger. A .967 save percentage and six goals conceded in four games.
Nathan MacKinnon. Eight points in four, and 127 last season at plus 57.
Mikko Rantanen. Six points, and a decade in Colorado before this.
Cale Makar. Six points from defence and the best skater on the ice on Tuesday.
Score prediction
Colorado Avalanche 4-3 Dallas Stars. Colorado is scoring nearly six a game and the away team has won all four of the recent meetings. Oettinger is the reason to think this finishes lower than it looks.
Stars vs Avalanche prediction
This is the matchup of the week. Colorado has the best attack in the league and Dallas the meanest defence, and they have not met since April.
The series pattern is hard to ignore. All four meetings last season were won by the visiting team, which argues for Colorado here.
Oettinger is the counter. At .967 he can win a game Dallas has no business winning, and Colorado’s own crease is split between Blackwood and Wedgewood.
Our lean: Colorado, and the under if the total sits at 6.5 or higher. Two of the four meetings last season finished with three goals or fewer, and Dallas has conceded six all season. Where both sit is on our NHL power rankings.
Puck drop is 8:30pm ET on Tuesday 13 October 2026 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, which is 7:30pm CT.
Yes. He leads the Stars in scoring with six points after a decade in Colorado.
Two wins each across four meetings, and the away team won every one.
Jake Oettinger, who has started three of the four games at a .967 save percentage.
Colorado is 3-1-0 with 23 goals in four games. Dallas is 2-2-0 and has conceded six.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Odds are approximate at the time of writing and changeconstantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.