On night three of the 2nd Round of the NHL Playoffs, the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche found themselves in the middle of a typical post-season Western Conference showdown in Game One. The Green-clad home-dwelling Stars, fresh off an exhilarating full-length series win over the defending Stanley Cup Champions, Las Vegas Golden Knights. The visiting Avs, winners of the ultimate prize just 2 post-seasons ago, took down Winnipeg in five games and had some idle time in Denver, Colorado.
Would Dallas keep rolling like a well-oiled machine just two days removed from their own Game Seven, or would Colorado come out fired up to play hockey for the first time in a week?
Stars Start Strong In Game One
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When the official game puck met the ice for game one in this series on Tuesday night, the Dallas Stars looked like a team that had recently played. Equally, to that point, the Colorado Avalanche looked like a team that had been playing, sitting relatively idle and competing in simulation games among itself while waiting for an opponent. With the American Airlines Center ready to go, Dallas had the opportunity to seize control of the series right out of the. Pardon the pun, but the Stars buried Colorado under an avalanche of goals in the first frame to kickstart the series.
Over the span of ten minutes of in-game action, Ryan Suter (1), Wyatt Johnston (5) & Jamie Benn (2) proceeded to beat the Colorado Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev on three occasions. Colorado did not have their skating legs and looked overwhelmed by the speed of the Stars. This led to Dallas skipping into the locker room up 3-0.
Colorado Avalanche Showcase Championship Pedigree in Second Period
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Teams that have competed consistently for championship rings over several seasons, such as the NBA’s Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls, have a way of being able to reset. In basketball, it can be a crucial timeout or perhaps some halftime adjustments. In hockey, that timeout applies but is typically reserved for late in the game, if possible. So, usually, that adjustment occurs between periods.
Game one was absolutely no different. The Colorado Avalanche strapped their helmets on a little tighter and brought the effort with them at the start of period two. This threw the Stars off their game and led to undisciplined play. As the hockey gods often do, the Colorado Avalanche were rewarded with two powerplay goals from the man advantage, leaving the Avs with only one goal down and 20 minutes remaining.
Avalanche Force OT & Claim Victory in Game One
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One of the best innovations that ESPN has provided for the NHL Playoffs this season is that wonderful, excellent, amazing little clock ticker that tells when something important is about to occur. Perhaps something like a close 3rd period or overtime frame is about to start? If you missed that ticker and the start of the 3rd period of Game One, you would’ve also failed to see the Colorado Avalanche let all of the air out of the AAC with Nathan MacKinnon typing the game less than 40 seconds into the period.
As the proud winners of the Western Conference this season with 113 points, Dallas was not going to go away without a fight in Game One. Of course, the Colorado Avalanche wouldn’t back down as they finally clawed their way back into the contest. Both teams traded haymakers deep into the night like heavyweight boxers scheduled for 12 rounds, only for the final buzzer to sound on 60 regulation minutes. The Stars and Avs were back where we started – a tie game in game One.
Dallas dominated the extra frame with no less than 4 A+ scoring changes, all of which Georgiev denied. The Colorado Avalanche stayed with their defense game, which led to a counterattack 11 minutes into the extra session. Avs forward Miles Wood used blazing foot speed to beat Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen to the puck and placed a nifty backhander behind goalie Jack Oettinger for his third goal of the playoffs.
Despite leaving empty-handed in game one, there is little doubt the Stars and their fans will be ready to go for Game two tomorrow night, 05/09/24, at the same start time of 9pm EST.
About The Author
Christopher Babos is a genuine sports & entertainment journalist with diverse credentials in writing, broadcasting, and digital media. With a varied professional background that includes an M.B.A. in Sports Management from Tiffin University, Chris can speak with authority on the subject matters that he covers. Additional insightful sports articles can be located here.
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