Colorado had a 2-0 lead after the first period, but Dallas chipped away at the lead and tied it at 2-2 with 5:23 left in the third stanza. The Stars entered the game with seven come-from-behind wins in the third period--most in the NHL--but it wasn't like the Avalanche was hunkered down and trying to survive the final 20 minutes.
The Avs had their looks in the third period, and they outshot the Stars in every regulation frame to finish with a 43-30 edge overall.
"I liked our push, even in the third period. We're up a goal, and we're still going after it," Bednar said. "We didn't want to sit back. We didn't want to let them come at us. We hit a couple posts, and a couple grade-A chances that we created besides those ones. Their goaltender made some saves."
Esa Lindell ended the contest 1:54 into overtime after a faceoff win by Dallas in the Colorado zone.
"We had a good game. You know, we played well. We didn't give them much, but unfortunately the goals we did give them were back breakers--part way through the third period and then obviously overtime," said veteran defenseman Ian Cole. "So for the most part it was good, but we still have to figure out how to complete games."
The Avalanche lost the first game of its five-game homestand on Friday in overtime in similar fashion. A tight game featuring chances both ways ending in an extra period loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Despite some of the losses, Bednar says his club is in a stretch of solid performances, though it only has two points to show for their effort after picking up back-to-back wins against the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 2 and at the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 4.
While Bednar wasn't pleased with his club's overall game in a loss on Jan. 7 at the New York Rangers, he did like the Avs' work ethic the previous night in a 1-0 loss at the New York Islanders and sees similarities between that contest and their most recent ones.
"It was frustrating because we had a lot of chances to score, same feeling like we got today," Bednar said when reflecting on that Islanders game. "You play a real good team in Pit, a real good team in Dallas, and we just come up a little bit short. We carve out a point in both of those. It's about your play, it's about your process, it's about your habits."
The pucks just don't seem to be bouncing Colorado's way right now, but the key for Bednar and the Avs is to keep grinding through the process and eventually the results will be there.
"You make one mistake and it seems like it ends up in the back of the net," Bednar said. "It's not goaltending tonight, our goaltender was excellent, [the other team is] finding ways to capitalize on chances and we're not. It's a confidence thing. We got to keep believing in what we're doing. I think you play like that, on most nights you're going to get two points."
