NHL playoff picks: Back the Stars to finish the job

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If you stuck with the under despite the Jacob Markstrom injury, congrats on 8-0. I passed, which, in hindsight, is frustrating. The Flyers cashed as my lone bet Tuesday night as we extended this winning run to 7-0 dating back to Saturday.

I'm forgetting what it feels like to lose a bet, and here's hoping we're not reminded anytime soon.

Colorado Avalanche (-125) @ Dallas Stars (+105)

Nothing's confirmed regarding which goalies will start, but it's hard to envision anyone other than Anton Khudobin between the pipes for the Stars. Ben Bishop returned to the Dallas net Monday following an 18-day absence and was nothing short of horrific, getting pulled after 13:43 and allowing four goals on 19 shots. It's hard to blame Bishop entirely for the loss seeing as the Stars didn't show up for the first period, but how do you not go back to Khudobin after that?

The Avalanche have more of a dilemma. Pavel Francouz has struggled in relief of the injured Philipp Grubauer and was unfit to play in Game 5, with Michael Hutchinson starting in his place. Hutchinson was solid, not spectacular, but he didn't have to be great with Colorado jumping out to a 5-0 lead before Dallas could muster five shots on goal. Even if Francouz is able to play, his performance in this series suggests Hutchinson will get the start regardless.

That's problematic for the Avalanche, who will need another flawless effort in front of him to prolong this series. Hutchinson channeled the adrenaline of the occasion to help Colorado to victory in Game 5, but starting a game on short notice requires a very different mentality than sitting and thinking about a start for a couple of days. A lot more pressure comes with the latter, and with the Avalanche on the brink of elimination, that's a huge burden to place on Hutchinson's shoulders.

This is a guy who started 13 games this season and allowed four or more goals in eight of them. His .888 save percentage and 3.43 goals-against average in the regular season is cause for concern against a Stars team that hasn't stopped scoring following a sluggish start in the bubble. Dallas is firing on all cylinders right now and we will see its best effort of the series tonight in an attempt to avoid Game 7.

Pick: Stars (+105)

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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