DALLAS — The Colorado Avalanche has shown absolute domination and unconquerable struggles in the round one series against the Dallas Stars.

After coming up on a huge win on Saturday, featuring a goal by captain Gabriel Landeskog, there was a flash of the team who was unstoppable in the 2022 Stanley Cup victory.

Even with this in mind, the return to Dallas for game five of the series proved troublesome.

First Period

The first period did not get off to a great start. Nine seconds after the opening puck drop, the Dallas Stars shot the puck into the net, while the Avalanche players lost sight of it.

It was that momentum change that seemed to set the tone for the entire first period. Both teams were awarded a power play at different times, though neither capitalized.

The Avalanche have consistently struggled on the power play, seeming to get lost in a pattern of passing throwing nothing toward the net. There were several opportunities to equalize the goal before things got out of hand.

Weird goals were about to be the theme of the night, as the Stars earned their second goal off of a block from Mackenzie Blackwood that sailed into the air and rolled right off of his back to light the lamp.

Second Period

Before really turning things around, the Dallas Stars continued to increase the differential. Just over one minute into the middle frame, the home team increased their lead to 3–0, scored by none other than former Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen.

The Avalanche received another power play opportunity shortly after the goal, but failed to capitalize on it.

Finally, Artturi Lehkonen shows a hint of life and redirects a Martin Nečas one timer right into the net. A bit of fire was what the team needed to start the long journey back to competing in the contest.

The movement in a positive direction snowballed and Nathan MacKinnon brought the team within one, making the game feel much more manageable.

While still riding on the adrenaline and building something good, defenseman Sam Malinski gets caught with an elbowing call, putting the Avalanche in a dire need to kill a power play. To close out the period, the Stars scored on the man advantage. Then they scored again, leaving Colorado down by three.

Third Period

Adjustments had to be made. After a disastrous first two periods, there was no choice.

Scott Wedgewood made his first playoff appearance in burgundy and blue to start the third period. Even with his performance in the net, there was still little to be done. The team couldn’t find their opportunity to light the lamp, despite being handed a power play.

Frustration was clearly building. Questionable penalties were being called, and the Avalanche were paying the price. While constantly shorthanded, it was becoming increasingly difficult to make up ground.

A scuffle in the corner gave Logan O’Connor and Parker Kelly a game misconduct, sending them down to the locker room.

With the final nail in the coffin being an empty netter from the Stars to seal it 6–2, the Avalanche will be in a 3–2 series deficit, with game six coming on Thursday.

Observations from the Mountaintop

It goes without saying that Thursday’s game has just become a must-win. There is no room for mistakes, but Colorado will return home.

Big names have been silent on the ice, namely Cale Makar. He was -3 on the night with only four shots on the net for the entire game. Valeri Nichushkin has also been absent in the series tallying only one point in five games.

The power play is arguably one of the biggest issues the team is fighting. They were 0-for-3 tonight, but have only scored on three advantages out of all of their chances this series.

It seems there is always an issue in Dallas. For game two, the quality of the ice was a huge concern, turning slushy and limiting puck control. In this game, the calls from officials affected what the team could do. Their focus seemed more on battling penalties than on scoring.

In a small win, Landeskog’s impact on the ice has been noticeable. He seems to have not missed a beat at all and even pushed his way into a scrum before being shut down by an official.

Up next

The Avalanche will go back to Denver in a do-or-die contest on Thursday, with the time and streaming services TBD.