Can the Colorado Avalanche force a Game 7 against the Dallas Stars tonight?
Game 5 saw the Colorado Avalanche come out swinging against the Dallas Stars. They scored the first five goals of the game, each of those coming in the first period. The Stars didn’t go down quietly, as they scored the three of the next four goals. But it wasn’t enough and the Avalanche stayed alive to force Game 6, which will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 2, starting at roughly 8 p.m. EST.
With how crazy this series has been, you knew the Avalanche weren’t going to go down quietly. They sure as heck didn’t. The Avalanche had to start Michael Hutchinson in goal with Pavel Francouz being deemed “unfit to play”. And it didn’t matter.
Colorado still has an uphill battle to earn the right to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. But the Avalanche have shown they can be very difficult to beat when they’re playing at their best. The Stars must find “their best”, and do so quickly.
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UPDATED ODDS
According to Odds Shark, here are the updated odds for tonight’s game.
- COL: -115
- DAL: -105
STARTING GOALTENDERS
This could get interesting. In Game 5, the Dallas Stars went with Ben Bishop, despite their head coach saying he wasn’t “fit to play” earlier in the day. The Avalanche chased him quickly with four goals in their first 19 shots.
So it’s likely the Stars will go back to Anton Khudobin, who stopped 20 of 22 shots on goal. But head coach Rick Bowness hasn’t confirmed anything yet.
On the other side of the ice, it’s somehow even more interesting. Philipp Grubauer is definitely out. He’s unfit to play due to an injury he suffered in Game 1. Stranger things have happened (as recently as two days ago!), but don’t expect to see Grubauer tonight.
As mentioned earlier, Pavel Francouz, the Avalanche’s backup goalie, could also be out. He was deemed “unfit to play” before Game 5. Head coach Jared Bednar hasn’t confirmed anything. If Francouz can’t go, the Colorado Avalanche will likely turn back to Hutchinson. The series has been crazy, so maybe it’s fitting so much is up in the air prior to Game 6.
LIVE STREAM INFORMATION
Date: Wednesday, September 2
Start Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Rogers Place
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
TV Channel: NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS
Live Stream: Fubo.tv (subscription required but you get a free trial), r/NHL Streams, NBCSN
Game 6 shouldn’t be short on drama. Will the Avalanche force a Game 7? Or will the Stars punch their ticket to the Western Conference Final?