DALLAS — Game won.

The Colorado Avalanche went into Texas to face the Dallas Stars and took Game One of the series out of their grasp with a big 5-1 win on Saturday night. It was a fight from the get-go, an even battle up and down the ice. But they eventually pulled through and bested the home team.

Similar to last year’s second-round matchup, the Avs got the job done on the road. Dallas has now dropped eight straight series openers. They’ve also lost home-ice advantage with Colorado stealing one on the road.

First Period

Colorado started off the game nicely with three straight shots. Their best opportunity out of the three was from Parker Kelly right in front. But Jake Oettinger managed to get enough of the puck with his shoulder to deaden the puck in the crease.

They continued with the momentum with a huge chance. Cale Makar drew two tripping penalties from both Mason Marchment and Wyatt Johnston. It gave the Avs 1:24 of a 5-on-3, but they couldn’t convert on the opportunity.

Colorado then were on the back foot a little bit thanks to a Josh Manson holding penalty. They managed to kill it off thanks to a great couple of saves by Mackenzie Blackwood in a scramble. Dallas kept firing, but eventually things evened out.

Compared to the first period of Game One in the first round last year against the Winnipeg Jets, this was a much better result. The Avalanche had the shot advantage 11-8, but both teams went into the room scoreless.

Second Period

Both teams felt the swing of momentum in the middle period. Colorado started off nicely when Charlie Coyle and  Ross Colton combined for a nice chance. But it just slipped off Colton’s stick right in front. Nathan MacKinnon and Makar followed suit with a couple more chances gone missing.

Dallas got more looks and was helped when Ryan Lindgren was called for a delay of game. Blackwood again was incredible, making save after save. It left Stars fans’ heads in their hands, wondering how they hadn’t scored.

It ended up being incredibly influential, as the Avs went the other way and scored. Artturi Lehkonen finally broke his 17-game goalless streak in a wacky way with a wild deflection off his foot.

Devon Toews nearly followed suit moments later on a one-time tip in front. But Oettinger did just enough to glance it off his shoulder and away. Martin Necas also got too cute on a 2-on-1, trying to force a pass, which was another opportunity missed.

MacKinnon would get another chance and didn’t miss. He was caught with a high-stick by Roope Hintz, drawing blood and a four-minute power play. MacKinnon, with the help of the shinpad of Ilya Lyubushkin, fooled Oettinger to double the lead.

The Avalanche had more looks in the second half of the Hintz penalty, but didn’t find the twine. At the other end, Blackwood made another ginormous save shorthanded. His stonewall effort, plus some help from the hockey gods, held the hosts scoreless with 20 minutes to go.

Third Period

Manson was the main subject of the third period. He made his presence known with two big hits on Mikael Granlund, which sent him down. He was also called for an interference penalty on Marchment.

Marchment somewhat sold the call, but did get his team back in the game. As the power play wound down, Roope Hintz deflected Thomas Harley’s shot from the point home. With a wicked bounce, the Stars were within one.

Blackwood continued standing tall in the crease, including a huge save from his backside with a shot from the slot. It paid dividends, as Manson’s influence continued. He had a shot-pass find Toews at the backpost to extend the lead back to two.

It sucked the life out of the building as Dallas headed toward an eighth straight loss in the first game of a playoff series. They pulled Oettinger late, and MacKinnon immediately put the game to bed. Coyle followed it up seconds later with another one on Oettinger back in the net. It helped polish off a great 5-1 win to open the series.

Observations From the Mountaintop

Dallas arguably had more Grade-A chances with the home crowd behind them. But they found life difficult against the new Avalanche starter, Blackwood. In his first career Stanley Cup Playoff game, he was outstanding. He ended the night with 23 saves, coming up big several times. Oftentimes, Dallas had the momentum in their favor, and he managed to shut them down. With questions coming into the series about his recent form, especially compared to back-up netminder Scott Wedgewood, he answered the call. He could arguably be a little better with his rebound control, but he was great otherwise.

Colorado definitely didn’t have its prettiest game. It took almost half the game to even open the scoring, which came from Lehkonen doing his best impromptu soccer impression. MacKinnon’s first goal came from another deflection, too. The Avalanche managed a solid third period on the road and were at their best at the most important time. If they can play the entire game as they did in the third period, it will only help their case going forward in the rest of the series.

Jared Bednar will have some more decisions moving forward in the series. Ross Colton only took one shift in the third period and eventually left the bench. He did not return, and as of the publishing of this article, his status is unknown going forward. Meanwhile, everyone was watching to see if the return of Gabriel Landeskog was happening in this game. It did not happen. Will they push him for Game Two to try and take a huge 2-0 lead back home, or wait for his triumphant return on home ice at Ball Arena?

Next Game

Game Two of this series will take place in Dallas again on Monday night. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. MT.