Avalanche, Stars Set for Crucial Central Matchup

Top 2 teams in NHL face off with eye toward playoff positioning

Mar. 18, 2026 at 4:00am

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The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, the top two teams in the NHL, will face off in a crucial divisional matchup on Wednesday night. The game has significant implications on the Central Division standings and the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs, as the winner will take a big step toward securing the division title and avoiding a first-round matchup with the other top contender.

Why it matters

With the playoff format guaranteeing that one of the Avalanche, Stars, and Minnesota Wild will be eliminated in the first round, and two will be out following the second round, finishing first in the division matters as it all but ensures avoiding playing one of the other two top teams in the opening round.

The details

The Avalanche (44-13-9) currently lead the Stars (42-15-10) by 3 points in the Central Division standings. The teams have already met once this season, with the Avalanche winning 5-4 in a shootout on March 6. They will face off again on April 4 in Dallas. Both teams are dealing with key injuries, with the Avalanche missing Artturi Lehkonen, Gabriel Landeskog, and Ross Colton, while the Stars are without Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen, and Radek Faksa.

  • The Avalanche and Stars will face off on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
  • The teams previously met on March 6, 2026, with the Avalanche winning 5-4 in a shootout.
  • The Avalanche and Stars will meet again on April 4, 2026 in Dallas.

The players

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche are the first-place team in the NHL's Central Division with 97 points in 66 games.

Dallas Stars

The Stars are the second-place team in the Central Division with 94 points in 67 games.

Chris MacFarland

The general manager of the Colorado Avalanche.

Jim Nill

The general manager of the Dallas Stars.

Jared Bednar

The head coach of the Colorado Avalanche.

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What they’re saying

“These games do (feel different) because there's a mutual respect between both teams. They know that, 'Hey, this is a team we're probably going to have to go through if we want to win the Stanley Cup.' The players know that. They understand that. And they've got a lot of pride.”

— Jim Nill, Dallas Stars General Manager

“With the start we had I think it's important (to finish first in the division). I think Dallas would say the same thing. I think Minnesota would say the same thing.”

— Chris MacFarland, Colorado Avalanche General Manager

“This is probably an easy way out of the question, it's really just getting ourselves ready for the playoffs. We know we've got to be at our best to beat these teams so we have to make sure we're at that level.”

— Jim Nill, Dallas Stars General Manager

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This game between the top two teams in the NHL's Central Division has major implications for the playoff picture, as the winner will take a big step toward securing the division title and avoiding a first-round matchup with the other top contender. Both teams are dealing with key injuries, but the mutual respect between the Avalanche and Stars suggests this will be a hard-fought and meaningful matchup.