Recap: Stars close out preseason with 4-2 loss to Avalanche

The Stars closed out their seven-game preseason slate with a 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Saturday. Dallas entered the game riding a three-game winning streak and finish exhibition play with a 3-2-2 record.
Denis Gurianov and Jacob Peterson had power-play goals in the second and third periods, respectively. Braden Holtby started the game and made 18 saves on 20 shots through two periods, while Anton Khudobin stopped 9-of-10 in the third.

Led by two goals from Nathan MacKinnon and tallies from Mikko Rantanen and J.T. Compher, the Avs snapped a three-game losing streak to conclude the preseason with a 2-4-0 mark.

BOXSCORE / PHOTO GALLERY

Jonas Johansson went the distance in goal for Colorado, stopping 18 of 20 shots in the win.
The Avs opened the scoring just 3:45 into the first when MacKinnon finished a feed from Andre Burakovsky for a tap-in goal. The former first overall pick had only played in one exhibition game prior to tonight's contest.
Gurianov evened the score at the 6:18 mark of the middle frame when he unloaded a blistering one-timer that zipped past Johansson. It marked Gurianov's third goal and fifth point in six preseason games.

Rantanen got the lead back for the Avs on the power play midway through the second period.
MacKinnon gave the Avs a 3-1 lead six minutes into the third period when he connected on a pass from linemate Rantanen for his second goal of the game.
The two-goal lead would stand until the 11:14 mark of the final frame when Peterson scored on the power play to make it 3-2. Earning rave reviews from his teammates and head coach Rick Bowness, the 22-year-old rookie is making a strong case to make the opening night roster next week.
Compher scored into an empty net with 1:08 remaining in regulation to give the Avs a 4-2 cushion.
The Stars will open their 2021-22 regular season on Thursday, Oct. 14 against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.