Dallas at Colorado

The Avalanche have been pointing to this game ever since the Stars eliminated them in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series last season. Colorado defeated Dallas, 7-4 and 4-0, in its last two home games of that series, but lost, 4-2, in Game 7 at Dallas with the Stars scoring the winning goal with less than four minutes left and then adding an empty-netter with three seconds left. These are the top two teams in the Central Division, and Colorado is the better team right now. The Avalanche are 2-0 with a 4-1 road win against the Los Angeles Kings and a 2-1 home win against Utah. The Stars are 1-0. They nearly blew a 5-1 lead in the third period before hanging on to defeat Winnipeg, 5-4, on the road. This is the Stars' second away game in three days, and they are going into high altitude against a super motivated, superior Avalanche team. Take the Avalanche on the puck line.