(3C) Avalanche at (1C) Stars
Western Conference Second Round, Game 5
8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS
Dallas leads best-of-7 series 3-1
DALLAS -- The Dallas Stars will get their first opportunity to eliminate the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round at American Airlines Center on Wednesday.
The Stars, attempting to reach the conference final for the second straight season, have won three straight, outscoring the Avalanche 14-5, following a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 1. Dallas has held Colorado to one goal in each of the past two games, but closing out a desperate team won’t be easy.
“We know it’s going to be the toughest game to win and they’re going to be a really tough out just because of who they are," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said Wednesday. "A lot of Stanley Cup champions on that team from two years ago and a really deep team. We know it’s going to be hard.
“At the same time, you only get so many of these elimination-game opportunities and you want to take advantage of them. As you move forward through the (Stanley Cup) Playoffs, rest is critical. So, if you can eliminate a team in five instead of going six or seven, that makes a big difference.”
The Avalanche, who will get defenseman Devon Toews back after he missed Game 4 due to illness, are looking to stoke their offense and force Game 6 back home at Ball Arena on Friday. It’s just one more hurdle, and Colorado is prepared to deal with it.
“The leaders in here, they lead and you know, especially as a new guy, I follow them," said center Casey Mittelstadt, acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on March 6. "I mean, they've been here, they've done it.
“They know how to prepare to play. They're hard workers and it's not their first time dealing with a little adversity. So, I think the main focus is just on the game tomorrow to one game at a time. Like I said, follow the leaders and get myself ready to play.”
Dallas is 12-1 all-time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when leading a best-of-7 series 3-1; Colorado is 0-5 all-time when trailing a best-of-7 playoff series 3-1.
Here are 3 keys for Game 5:
1. Get on the board first
Yes, this is a repeat of a key for Game 4 but for a reason: the Avalanche are still looking for their first lead in the series, other than at the end of their victory in Game 1. That wouldn't guarantee a win, but it would certainly help the cause.
“For the first period (in Game 4) we didn’t do enough to do that," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said, "and I think our guys understand, especially now, the importance of trying to get a lead and forcing them to get out of their shell a little bit.
“We just haven’t done enough early in the games and capitalized in some instances on some of our chances to try and get that lead.”
2. Rely on depth
The Stars have gotten contributions across the board through the first two rounds and that will be needed again, especially with top-line center Roope Hintz out with an upper-body injury he sustained when blocking a shot in the first period of a 5-1 win in Game 4 on Monday; he's day to day.
Radek Faksa will enter the lineup in Hintz's place.
“Next man up," Dallas forward Tyler Seguin said. "Different guys will slide into different positions, and do your job. You go into the game kind of the same way, stick to your routine, whether you have a new opportunity or a different spot, just try to find the excitement in it and do your job.”
3. Loosen up (sort of)
For the Avalanche, it’s a fine line; they have to play with desperation, but they also don’t want to be too tight. Defenseman Cale Makar said he thought Colorado seemed nervous in Game 4. The Avalanche will look to relax just enough to still be impactful in Game 5.
“Obviously, your backs are against the wall, the pressure is kind of on us a little bit," Colorado forward Jonathan Drouin said. "You just play desperate, you play, I call it almost controlled aggression a little bit, where you don’t want to be uptight and not making plays. You want to play your own game and make sure we’re going at them.”
Avalanche projected lineup
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Zach Parise -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Jonathan Drouin
Miles Wood -- Ross Colton -- Joel Kiviranta
Brandon Duhaime -- Yakov Trenin -- Andrew Cogliano
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Samuel Girard -- Josh Manson
Jack Johnson -- Sean Walker
Alexandar Georgiev
Justus Annunen
Scratched: Jean-Luc Foudy, Arvid Holm, Caleb Jones, Nikolai Kovalenko, Sam Malinsky, Ivan Prosvetov, Chris Wagner
Injured: None
Stars projected lineup
Jason Robertson -- Tyler Seguin -- Logan Stankoven
Jamie Benn -- Wyatt Johnston -- Joe Pavelski
Mason Marchment -- Matt Duchene -- Evgenii Dadonov
Craig Smith -- Radek Faksa -- Sam Steel
Thomas Harley -- Miro Heiskanen
Esa Lindell -- Chris Tanev
Ryan Suter -- Nils Lundkvist
Jake Oettinger
Scott Wedgewood
Scratched: Ty Dellandrea
Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Roope Hintz (upper body)
Status report
Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Monday; under the terms of the program, he will be suspended without pay for a minimum of six months and then will be eligible to apply for reinstatement.
NHL.com independent correspondent Taylor Baird contributed to this report
