Stars take 2-1 series lead into game 4 against the Avalanche

Dallas Stars (50-26-6, in the Central Division) vs. Colorado Avalanche (49-29-4, in the Central Division)

Denver; Saturday, 9:30 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Avalanche -189, Stars +158; over/under is 6

NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Stars lead series 2-1

BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Stars visit the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Wednesday for the seventh time this season. The Stars won 2-1 in overtime in the previous matchup.

Colorado has a 13-12-4 record in Central Division games and a 49-29-4 record overall. The Avalanche have scored 273 total goals (3.3 per game) to rank sixth in the league.

Dallas has gone 50-26-6 overall with a 17-9-3 record against the Central Division. The Stars are 25-12-2 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent.

TOP PERFORMERS: Martin Necas has 27 goals and 57 assists for the Avalanche. Nathan MacKinnon has five goals and five assists over the last 10 games.

Mikko Rantanen has 32 goals and 56 assists for the Stars. Evgenii Dadonov has scored five goals over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Avalanche: 5-3-2, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.7 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.

Stars: 2-6-2, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.8 assists, 3.5 penalties and 7.9 penalty minutes while giving up four goals per game.

INJURIES: Avalanche: None listed.

Stars: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.