Colorado Avalanche (3-3, C3) @ Dallas Stars (3-3, C2)
6 p.m. MT | American Airlines Center | Watch: ABC, ESPN+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (950 AM)
After a back-and-forth victory in Game Six, the Avalanche face the Dallas Stars in a winner-take-all Game Seven with a spot in the Second Round on the line.
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
Game Five: COL 2, DAL 6
Game Six: DAL 4, COL 7
Big Win at Ball
The Avalanche defeated the Dallas Stars 7-4 in Game Six of the First Round on Thursday at Ball Arena. Valeri Nichushkin scored twice while Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen, Martin Necas, Cale Makar and Josh Manson all added a tally for the Avs. Additionally, Gabriel Landeskog and Brock Nelson each posted two assists. Nichushkin opened the scoring at 6:29 of the first period with his second goal of the playoffs via a right-circle wrist shot off the rush that deflected off a Stars player and into the net. Lehkonen doubled Colorado’s lead at 18:40 with his third goal of the playoffs via a shot from the left doorstep. Roope Hintz put the Stars on the board at 1:18 of the second period with a power-play goal and the Dallas tied the game when Mikael Granlund scored at 3:41 of the middle frame. Necas gave the Avs a 3-2 lead at 4:34 of the middle frame with his first goal of the playoffs via a shot from the right doorstep set up by Makar’s feed. Hintz tied the game with his second goal of the night at 7:51 of the middle frame and Mikko Rantanen gave the Stars a 4-4 lead at 18:35 of the second. The Avs tied the game when Nichushkin scored his second of the night at 6:02 of the third with a shot from the left doorstep. MacKinnon gave the Avs a 5-4 lead at 9:04 of the third period with his sixth goal of the playoffs when his shot pinballed off Stars players and into the net. The Avs added two empty-net tallies from Manson at 18:44 and Makar at 19:03.
Leading the Way
Nate the Great
MacKinnon leads the league in goals (6) and is tied for second in points (10).
All Hail Cale
Makar is tied for third among NHL defensemen in points (5).
Good Stick, Lehky!
Lehkonen is tied for second on the Avs in goals (3).
Producing Against Dallas
MacKinnon has posted 28 points (13g/15a) in 20 playoff contests against the Stars in addition to 45 points (17g/28a) in 44 regular-season games.
Nichushkin has registered nine points (7g/2a) in 17 playoff games against Dallas as well as seven points (4g/3a) in 13 regular-season contests.
Landeskog has recorded 10 points (3g/7a) in 11 playoff contests against the Stars in addition to 31 points (16g/15a) in 34 regular-season games.
The Stars’ Scorers
Rantanen leads the Stars in points (8) and assists (6) while being tied for second in goals (2).
Hintz leads Dallas in goals (4) while being second in points (7) and tied for third in assists (3).
Wyatt Johnston is second on the Stars in assists (4) while being tied for second in goals (2) and third in points (6).
A Numbers Game
26:49
Makar’s 26:49 of time on ice per game is the fifth most in the league.
38
Parker Kelly’s 38 hits are the third most in the league.
17
Devon Toews’ 17 blocks are tied for the fourth most in the league.
Quote That Left a Mark
“I think it was a group effort. Everybody knew what was at stake. Everybody knew that we carried the play for the most part. [It] felt like we, like I said, [had] a couple of mistakes that led to their goals, and it felt like we got a little bit loose with some of our coverage. We knew that if we tightened some of those things up and we keep playing offensively like we were, we were creating enough scoring chances to score goals, and just had to find a way to get some behind (Dallas goaltender Jake) Oettinger. Patience paid off tonight and we got rewarded.”
-- Gabriel Landeskog on the team’s effort in Game Six
