Colorado Avalanche (2-2, C3) @ Dallas Stars (2-2, C2)
7:30 p.m. MT | American Airlines Center | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, ESPN | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)
The Avalanche head to Dallas to face the Stars in a crucial Game Five after a dominant performance in Game Four at home.
Game One: COL 5, DAL 1
Game Two: COL 3, DAL 4 (OT)
Game Three: DAL 2, COL 1 (OT)
Game Four: DAL 0, COL 4
Bouncing Back at Ball
Gabriel Landeskog scored his first NHL goal in 1,041 days and added an assist in the Avalanche’s 4-0 victory in Game Four against the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena on Saturday. Logan O’Connor, Nathan MacKinnon and Samuel Girard each scored for Colorado while Mackenzie Blackwood made 23 saves in his first Stanley Cup Playoff shutout. O’Connor scored a shorthanded goal to open the scoring at 12:39 of the first period with his second goal of the playoffs via a breakaway after taking the puck away from Stars defenseman Thomas Harley. MacKinnon doubled Colorado’s lead on the power play at 19:36 of the first period with his fourth goal of the playoffs via a left-circle one-timer. For the first time since June 20, 2022, Landeskog scored an NHL goal with a slap shot from the left slot at 13:10 of the second period. Girard scored his first goal of the playoffs and gave the Avs a 4-0 lead with a wrist shot from the point through Landeskog’s screen at 10:46 of the third period.
Leading the Way
Nate the Great
MacKinnon is tied for the league lead in goals (4).
Sammy G
Girard is tied for fourth in the league in points among defensemen (3).
The Lumberyard
Blackwood leads the league in save percentage (.939).
Scoring Against the Stars
Landeskog has posted eight points (3g/5a) in nine playoff games against the Stars in addition to 31 points (16g/15) in 34 regular-season games.
In 18 playoff games against Dallas, MacKinnon has registered 23 points (11g/12a) in addition to 45 points (17g/28a) in 44 regular-season games.
Jonathan Drouin has recorded six assists in seven playoff games against the Stars in addition to 15 points (5g/10a) in 19 regular-season games.
Dallas' Stars
Thomas Harley leads Dallas in points (3) while being tied for the team lead in assists (2).
Tyler Seguin leads the Stars in goals (2) and is tied for second on the team in points (2).
Wyatt Johnston is tied for the team lead in assists (2) and tied for second in points (2).
A Numbers Game
1.75
The Avalanche are allowing 1.75 goals per game which is tied for the fewest in the league.
34.5
Colorado’s 34.5 shots on goal per game are the most in the NHL.
78.6%
The Avalanche’s 78.6% mark on the penalty kill is the fifth best in the NHL.
Quote That Left a Mark
“That line has been exceptional. I said it all year they’re our most consistent line. Night in, night out with the detail and the commitment that they play with and how competitive they are as a group of three and I’ve said it before, they do a lot of heavy lifting. A lot of [defensive]-zone starts, a lot of penalty killing time, their forecheck has been relentless and obviously that’s a huge goal for us. Special teams were incredible tonight. Power play goes 1/1, penalty kill goes 4/4 and they pick up a shorty, and those guys have a lot to do with that.”
-- Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar on the Parker Kelly-Jack Drury-Logan O’Connor line and the contributions from the team’s power play and penalty kill
