Photo Credit : Andy Cross / The Denver Post
The Dallas Stars continued to display their road game prowess last night, defeating the Colorado Avalanche 5-1 at Ball Arena in Denver. With the victory, the Stars now have a 3-1 lead in the seven-game series and will return to home ice for Game 5 on Wednesday, looking to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals.
The victory comes on the heels of a series of earth-shattering reports out of Denver, including the minimum six-month suspension of leading goal-scorer and former Dallas Star Valeri Nichushkin, and the scratch of number two defenseman Devon Towes.
While Colorado was reeling from a night fraught with frustration and a lack of cohesion, Dallas was celebrating now-21-year-old Wyatt Johnston, who rang in the milestone birthday with a Mike Modano-record-breaking 11 playoff goals before turning 21. The night put him alongside good company aside from demolishing Modano’s record; he’s the first person since 1981 to score power play and shorthanded goals in a playoff game before turning 21. The last person to do it was Wayne Gretzky. And he’s the third player to score four game-winning goals in a post-season before turning 21. His counterparts in that are Jaromir Jagr and Claude Lemieux.
Dallas took control of the game quickly, pelting Colorado goalie Georgiev with shot after shot throughout the first period. With eight and a half minutes left in the period, Dallas went on the first power play of the night after Caleb Jones was sent to the box for tripping Jason Robertson. After fending off nine shots from the Stars during the two-minute man advantage, the Avalanche killed off the penalty.
Four minutes later, the Avs would get their first opportunity on the power play when Logan Stankoven was called for hooking Colorado’s Samuel Girard.
While shorthanded, Johnston pressured Colorado defenseman Cale Makar along the goal line in the Avalanche zone. Johnston swiped the puck from Makar with one hand, flicking it around Makar’s feet before passing it to Sam Steel who had joined him in the zone. Steel took a shot from the top of the faceoff circle to Georgiev’s left that bounced off the goaltender and back onto the ice in front of him. Johnston recovered the rebound and sent it toward the goalie again, but like Steel, was denied. Georgiev still couldn’t control the puck though, and Johnston took a second and third swipe at the puck, finally sending it across the goal line just 18 seconds into the penalty kill.
In the closing seconds of the period, Colorado’s Josh Manson and Dallas’ Jamie Benn were speeding toward the net before Manson collided with Benn and Benn ran into Georgiev. The officiating crew called a two-minute roughing penalty on Manson and a two-minute goaltender interference penalty on Benn.
Dallas’ dominant performance on the ice was clear beyond Johnston’s goal, too, with the Stars outshooting the Avs 16-2 in the first frame.
With Benn and Manson in the box, the second period began with a two-minute 4-on-4 matchup, but both teams held the other off while shorthanded.
Four minutes later, the Stars went on the power play yet again when Jones headed to the box again, this time for hooking Stankoven.
With 16 seconds remaining in the Stars power play, Johnston struck yet again. Robertson had control of the puck at the top of the right faceoff circle and faked a shot, instead sending a beeline pass to Johnston who had posted up on the goal line to Georgiev’s right. Johnston settled the puck before elevating it and sending it toward the net where it bounced it off the Georgiev’s back before landing in the goal.
The Stars were far from finished though, and with eight and a half minutes left in the second period, stretched their lead to 3-0. Robertson and Tyler Seguin battled for the puck along the boards behind the Colorado goal, with Robertson passing it to Stankoven in the right faceoff circle. Stankoven sent it along the boards to Miro Heiskanen at the blue line. Heiskanen launched a shot toward the net, bouncing it off the shoulder of Georgiev, who was being screened by Seguin, and into the net.
But Colorado would deny the Stars a coveted post-season shutout just one minute later. Avs forwards Casey Mittlestadt and Zach Parise skated the puck into the Dallas zone before sending it into the boards behind Stars goalie Jake Oettinger. Dallas defensemen Chris Tanev and Ryan Stuer gave chase and battled for the puck along the boards, but lost it to Colorado’s Jonathan Drouin, who bounced it back to Mittlestadt. Mittlestadt grabbed the puck and slid it along the side of the net before dragging it behind him slightly and flinging it past the left leg of Oettinger. It was Colorado’s ninth shot on goal.
The Avalanche seemed to find their stride in the third period, taking four shots before Dallas registered their first in the final frame. But with 10:33 remaining in the game, the Stars re-extended their three-goal lead and shifted the momentum back in Dallas’ favor.
Heiskanen took a shot from the center of the blue line that Georgiev, who was being screened by Mason Marchment, couldn’t control. While Georgiev was trying to recover the puck, Avs defenseman Sean Walker was clearing Marchment from in front of the crease, sending him into fellow defenseman Samuel Girard. The move left the puck sliding along the ice in front of Georgiev, who was already on his knees, and just within reach of Evgenii Dadonov, who sent the puck soaring into the net behind Georgiev.
With six and a half minutes left in the final frame, Tanev was sent to the penalty box for delay of game after colliding with the net in what was claimed to be an intentional move that resulted in the Stars net coming off of its pegs, but the Stars denied the Avs any hint of hope on the man advantage and killed off the penalty.
Colorado pulled Georgiev from the net with three minutes left in the game, and with one minute and fifty seconds left on the clock, Dallas slammed the final nail into the coffin of Game 4.
Johnston skated the puck out of the Dallas zone, heading through neutral ice with Steel alongside him. As the pair crossed the center ice line, Johnston passed to Steel, who had a completed unimpeded line on the empty net and sent the puck sliding across the goal line; his first goal of the playoffs.
The victory didn’t come without casualties though, with Roope Hintz, Craig Smith and Tanev all suffering injuries during the game. Smith and Tanev finished the night on the bench, but Tanev didn’t take another shift after being smashed between Colorado’s Ross Colton and the boards.
The Stars will look to close out the series in Game 5 on Wednesday night at American Airlines Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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