DALLAS -- The Colorado Avalanche will go for their first Game 7 victory in 23 years and the Dallas Stars will try to win a Game 7 for the third year in a row when they conclude the Western Conference First Round at American Airlines Center on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).
The Avalanche have lost six straight Game 7s, tied for the longest streak in NHL history with the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. They haven’t won one since 2002, when they defeated the San Jose Sharks in the conference semifinals. Center Nathan MacKinnon is 0-4 in Game 7s. Coach Jared Bednar and defenseman Cale Makar each is 0-3. Captain Gabriel Landeskog is 0-2.
The winner will advance to the Western Second Round and face either the Winnipeg Jets or St. Louis Blues, who will play Game 7 of their first round series Sunday.
“It’s an awesome opportunity for us,” said Landeskog, who returned in Game 3 after missing almost three years with a knee injury and has four points (one goal, three assists) in four games. “It’s a great challenge on the road, and we’re just looking to embrace all of it. We’ve earned the right to be here now for one game to advance.”
The Stars have won their past two Game 7s, defeating the Seattle Kraken in the second round in 2023 and the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round last year. They also defeated the Avalanche in the second round in 2020. The winning goal was scored in overtime by forward Joel Kiviranta, who now plays for Colorado.
“Just excited for the opportunity,” Stars goalie Jake Oettinger said. “We’ve all been working for this all year, and it’s been a long journey to get to this point, and as a player, there’s not much more you could want than Game 7 at home against a great team.”
Teams scoring first in a Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Playoff series have won 75.8 percent of the time (150-48). Home teams have won 58.6 percent of the time (116-82).
Here is a breakdown of Game 7:
Avalanche: MacKinnon has one assist in his four Game 7s; Makar has no points in his three. MacKinnon leads all postseason goal-scorers with six and is tied for second with 10 points, and Makar is tied for third among defensemen in the playoffs with five points (one goal, four assists). This is goalie Mackenzie Blackwood’s first Game 7; he's 3-3 with a 2.65 goals-against average, .899 save percentage and one shutout in the series.
Stars: Center Wyatt Johnston scored the winning goal in a 2-1 Game 7 victory against Seattle in 2023 and the opening goal in a 2-1 Game 7 victory against Vegas last year. He has four points (two goals, two assists) in his past two games and six points (two goals, four assists) in the series. Oettinger is 2-1 with a 1.54 GAA and .956 save percentage in Game 7s and 3-3 with a 2.99 GAA and .909 save percentage in this series.
Number to know: 8. That’s how many wins Stars coach Pete DeBoer has in Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, tied for the NHL record with coach Darryl Sutter and seven skaters. He has never lost one.
What to look for: Can the Avalanche limit rush chances for the Stars? Can Dallas spend more time in the offensive end?
