The Colorado Avalanche dropped its third straight game with another shootout loss to the Dallas Stars in a 2–1 final on Wednesday night. In the third game between the two this season, it again went down to the wire, as it has all season long.

Colorado got a power play goal and held Dallas off most of the evening. However, the scoreline won’t reflect that, and the standings continue to look even scarier for the Avs.

View From the Mountaintop

With tons of defensive issues coming into this game, Colorado needed to make changes. The last game against the Pittsburgh Penguins could not happen again with the Stars chasing. Therefore, we saw different pairings, with Devon Toews playing with Sam Malinski and Brett Kulak playing with Cale Makar. Josh Manson and Brent Burns still played together, but on the third pair. Unlike previous games, only six defenders played. Colorado did not go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen and instead called up Ivan Ivan from the Colorado Eagles and sat Nick Blankenburg.

Those changes certainly made an impact. The Stars only had two shots after 20 minutes, and nine after 40 minutes. They ended regulation with just 14 shots on net, with their lone goal coming on a singular defensive breakdown by Colorado. The defensive changes certainly left a lasting impact on the game, even with Jared Bednar making some tweaks down the line. Makar scored the lone goal for Colorado on the man advantage, which was nicely worked.

However, it didn’t win them this game. Instead, a third overtime and shootout game between these two teams, with Dallas getting the huge extra point. Colorado did still get a point, but now holds a slim two-point advantage over the Stars atop the division. Jake Oettinger shut their 5-on-5 play down, especially with some crazy saves. Scott Wedgewood matched him at the other end, but it wasn’t enough. Now, Colorado is even more at risk of losing out in what has been a historic season. The Avalanche needs to do some reflecting and figure out how to fight through after losing three rough games in a row.

Upcoming

Colorado will hit the road for four straight games, starting on Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. Puck drop is at 6:30 p.m. MT.