Mackenzie Blackwood held the line, Martin Necas did the heavy lifting, and the Avalanche walked out of Dallas with a 3-2 win in the first meeting between the teams in the 2026-27 season.
Colorado built a two-goal cushion in the second period and then survived a tense push from the Stars late, riding Blackwood’s steady night and a pair of Necas goals to get it done.
Artturi Lehkonen opened the scoring midway through the first period after a point shot created traffic in front. Lehkonen kept working in the slot and backhanded the puck past Jake Oettinger at 11:32.
The opening frame turned heated near the end when Noah Juulsen absorbed a hit from Radek Faksa. Fedor Svechkov took issue with it and immediately challenged Faksa to a fight, but the officials ruled Svechkov the instigator and sent Dallas to the power play. The Stars made the most of it, getting a little fortune when Tyler Seguin’s centering try deflected in off an Avalanche skate to tie the game 1-1.
Colorado took control in the second period, and Necas was right in the middle of it. He buried a one-timer off a feed from Nathan MacKinnon just 3:05 into the period to put the Avalanche back in front.
That middle frame also brought another scrap involving MacKinnon, his second fight in the first six games of the season. He took a clean shot and left the ice bleeding, but still finished the exchange on top of Roope Hintz. MacKinnon returned for his next shift without issue.
The Avalanche then cashed in on a 5-on-3 after Malinski was cross-checked and MacKinnon was tripped. This time it was Necas again, finishing off a net-front sequence after Landeskog collected a rebound and slipped a backhand pass across for an open look. That made it 3-1 Colorado at 16:14 of the second.
Dallas answered quickly in the third. Just 3:17 into the period, Roope Hintz cut the deficit to one with help from Tyler Seguin and Miro Heiskanen, and from there the pressure only kept building.
The Stars spent the rest of the night making it uncomfortable, but Colorado kept throwing bodies in front of pucks and protecting the lead long enough to seal the 3-2 victory.
Blackwood’s performance loomed large, especially after Colorado’s loss to Toronto. He delivered the kind of outing Jared Bednar needed, and the Avalanche got enough in front of him to make it count. Necas finished the job with two goals, while MacKinnon and Lehkonen also played key roles.
Even with a few breakdowns, Colorado matched Dallas with a level of compete it hasn’t shown often enough so far. And doing it in Dallas without Cale Makar only made the win look bigger.
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Avalanche Catch A Break In Dallas But Face A Bigger Concern
The Avalanche walked into Dallas with a little extra room to breathe before puck drop, thanks to a Stars lineup that looks thinner than usual down the middle. Wyatt Johnston is unavailable because of an illness, and thats a notable absence for a team that has leaned on his reliability for a long stretch. Sam Steel has been bumped up to second center, and Dallas is even asking defenseman Kyle Capobianco to fill in as a forward, a sign the Stars are patching things together wherever they can.
Colorado still has its own issues to manage, though, and they are bigger than any short-term break in the matchup. The Avalanche are also missing Cale Makar for family reasons, and that leaves them operating with 17 skaters while trying to keep pace in a game that already has some shuffling on both benches. With injuries adding to the uncertainty for both sides, this one has turned into less of a clean matchup and more of a test of depth and adaptability. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Got The Response They Needed In Heated Stars Win
MacKenzie Blackwood steadied the Avalanche in a needed 3-2 win over the Stars during the NHLs Frozen Frenzy, turning aside 24 shots and helping Colorado reset the tone after its previous loss. Martin Necas delivered the offense with two goals, including the power-play winner, as the Avalanche found a way to come out on top in a game that had plenty of bite for this early stretch of the schedule.
The physical edge was part of the story, too, with Nathan MacKinnon dropping the gloves in a fight and leaving with a bloody nose that needed attention during the game, though he is expected to be fine. Colorado and Dallas are right back at it in the next game of the home-and-home, giving the Avalanche a quick chance to show whether this win was just a response or the start of something steadier. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Fast Start Suddenly Feels Fragile Against Dallas
Artturi Lehkonen gave Colorado the kind of start it wanted, scoring first in the opening period and briefly putting the Avalanche in control against Dallas. The pace was tense from there, with both goaltenders making key saves as the Stars pressed back and the game settled into the sort of early-season test that can turn on one mistake.
Dallas found that mistake before the period was over, tying things at 1-1 on a power play and taking some of the shine off Colorados opening push. Penalties and a late altercation only added to the unease, leaving the Avalanche with a good start that suddenly felt a lot less secure heading into the next stretch of the game. [Read more 🡒]