Stars to tighten screws vs. Ducks on Friday

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We split our best bets Thursday night, losing on the Oilers while cashing our under in Pittsburgh.

We'll set our sights higher with a couple of plays for Friday's card.

This is a battle between two teams heading in very different directions. The Wild sit seven points out of a playoff spot, and the closest team they're chasing - the Vegas Golden Knights - is drastically improving at the deadline. The playoffs are very unlikely at this point, which is why we're seeing general manager Bill Guerin sell some pieces.

It's a much different story in Colorado. The Avalanche have won four of the past five, outscoring opponents by 15 in that span. They're ripping teams apart as they get healthy, and the additions of Casey Mittelstadt, Brandon Duhaime, and Yakov Trenin make them that much better up front.

The Avalanche are a difficult team to deal with at five-on-five, and their power play is as terrifying as any. The Wild will have difficulty keeping up at altitude in a back-to-back situation.

Goaltending is a big concern as well. Filip Gustavsson owns an .892 save percentage and continues to give up goals by the handful.

It has been a truly disastrous year for the netminder, who ranks ahead of only Joonas Korpisalo and Vitek Vanecek in goals saved above expected this season.

Look for Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, and the high-powered Avalanche - now also equipped with real depth - to take care of business within 60 minutes.

Bet: Avalanche in regulation (-130)

The Stars played in a barn burner against the Sharks last time out, but I wouldn't expect a ton of offense in this one.

Before the 7-6 win in San Jose, seven consecutive Stars games featured six goals or fewer. They generally play a very structured game and don't give opponents much even in defeat.

I certainly don't expect an exception against the Ducks. Pete DeBoer will no doubt want the screws tightened after a bit of a wake-up call last time out, and the Stars should be able to smother Anaheim's attack.

The Ducks have next to no offensive juice in their lineup. Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, and Leo Carlsson are all sidelined with injuries. Troy Terry's status is in question as well. Adam Henrique was just traded and Frank Vatrano could soon follow.

Dallas is three lines deep in terms of legitimate scoring punch but likely won't be pushed enough in this game to put forth a ceiling performance offensively.

Ducks goalies Lukas Dostal and John Gibson have also shown the ability to put together 30-to-40 save performances on a routine basis and make scorelines look more respectable than they should.

I see a 4-1 or 4-2 type of game in favor of the Stars.

Bet: Under 6.5 (-120)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

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