Avalanche Fall to Stars 3-2 in Shootout After Disallowed Goals and Missed Opportunities.
DENVER, Colo. — The Colorado Avalanche came up short Wednesday night, falling 3-2 to the Dallas Stars in a shootout at home. Despite a competitive performance and several scoring opportunities, Colorado could not complete the sweep of its back-to-back series against Dallas. Roope Hintz delivered the deciding goal in the fourth round of the shootout, beating Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood with a wrist shot. Dallas netminder Casey DeSmith then stopped Brock Nelson to secure the victory for the Stars. The loss came one night after Colorado defeated Dallas 3-2 on the road. The Avalanche faced frustration early in Wednesday's contest when two potential goals were overturned during the opening period. Jaden Schwartz initially appeared to put Colorado on the scoreboard, but Dallas successfully challenged the play for offside. Later in the period, Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog had another goal disallowed after officials determined he had directed the puck into the net with a kicking motion. Despite those setbacks, Colorado continued to generate offensive pressure. Landeskog eventually scored a goal that counted, while Nelson added another in the third period to keep the Avalanche in contention. Dallas received regulation goals from Miro Heiskanen and Arttu Hyry. Hyry gave the Stars a 2-1 advantage early in the third period after stealing the puck from Colorado defenseman Cale Makar and converting a short-handed opportunity. However, the Avalanche responded when Nelson scored with 11:39 remaining in regulation, bringing the game even at 2-2. Colorado nearly found another breakthrough later in the third period when Gavin Brindley appeared to score. Although Brindley began celebrating, replay showed the puck struck both goalposts without crossing the goal line. The teams remained tied through regulation, sending the contest into overtime.
Dallas nearly ended the game during the extra period when Hyry directed a bouncing puck toward the net, but his attempt struck the post. With neither team able to score in overtime, the matchup moved to a shootout, where Hintz ultimately made the difference.
DeSmith finished with 25 saves for Dallas and stopped three of Colorado's four shootout attempts.
Makar returned to Colorado's lineup after missing Tuesday's matchup against the Stars. His return followed a significant personal milestone, as he and his wife welcomed twin boys Wednesday morning. Dallas also dealt with an injury during the contest. Forward Oskar Back exited in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. For Colorado, Wednesday's defeat highlighted the importance of capitalizing on scoring chances in closely contested games. The Avalanche generated opportunities throughout the night but were unable to secure the additional goal needed to finish off Dallas.
The result leaves the two teams with one victory apiece in their consecutive meetings.
Colorado will look to rebound Friday when it hosts Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Meanwhile, Dallas continues its road trip Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
