The Avalanche left Dallas with a point, but not before running through a night packed with swings, frustration and enough overturned offense to leave both benches feeling it.
Colorado fell 3-2 in a shootout on the second night of a back-to-back, a game that featured two Avalanche goals wiped away, a shorthanded goal against, and yet another meeting with the Stars decided after regulation. It was that kind of game from the start.
Colorado thought it had the opening goal twice in the first period, only to have both taken off the board. Jaden Schwartz finished a pretty setup from Fedor Svechkov, but the call went the other way because of offside.
Later, Gabe Landeskog had one ruled out after the puck was deemed kicked in. The period ended scoreless, with the Avalanche holding a 9-7 edge in shots.
The breakthrough finally came after intermission, and this time it counted. Landeskog redirected the puck past Casey DeSmith to put Colorado ahead 1-0. Dallas answered late in the second when Miro Heiskanen found space and beat Scott Wedgewood cleanly to make it 1-1 heading to the third.
That’s where the game turned again. Colorado had four power-play opportunities on the night, but Dallas struck first in the final frame with a short-handed breakaway goal from Arttu Hyry to grab a 2-1 lead.
The Avalanche didn’t fold, though. Brock Nelson cleaned up a loose puck near the crease and buried it to pull Colorado level at 2-2 and force overtime.
Overtime didn’t produce much. Dallas generated the only shot on goal in the five-minute session, and the game moved on to a shootout.
Jason Robertson scored on Wedgewood in the first round, and Nazem Kadri answered for Colorado. Nathan MacKinnon was denied as the final shooter in the third round, and Roope Hintz finished it in the fourth to give Dallas the 3-2 win.
Even with the loss, Colorado comes out of the back-to-back with 3/4 points, which is hard to complain about in the big picture. Still, there was plenty to grind teeth over. The overturned goals stung, and the special teams were rough again, especially with the Avalanche surrendering a third short-handed goal already this season.
There was some real good in the forward group, too. The second line looked strong, with Landeskog scoring the first official goal and Nelson tying the game in the third after Dallas’ short-handed strike. Bednar kept mixing lines throughout the night while trying to find a top-six combination that can generate more consistently.
There was also some roster movement to track. Cale Makar played after his wife delivered twin boys this morning.
Nic Roy was a surprise scratch because of a lower-body injury, Zach L’Heureux remains out with an upper-body injury, and Gavin Brindley was recalled. Colorado dressed only 11 forwards, and more roster updates are expected in the coming days.
In Other News...
Avalanche Lose A Bench Voice At An Awkward Time For Special Teams
Dave Hakstols time on the Avalanche bench is ending at a tricky stretch for the staff, with the veteran coach coaching his final game in Colorado and then expected to move into the interim head coaching role at Arizona State University. For an Avalanche team that has leaned on every voice behind the bench, its a notable shift, and Brett McLean is set to step in and take Hakstols place on the staff.
The timing adds an extra layer to the move, since Arizona State has been searching for an experienced coach after Greg Powers was placed on administrative leave. For Colorado, the immediate takeaway is simple enough: one of the familiar voices around the room is leaving, and the Avalanche will have to adjust quickly while special teams remains under the microscope. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Suddenly Face A Bigger Problem Than Their Scoring Can Hide
The Avalanches early-season scoring has been good enough to keep most nights from feeling too heavy, but the cracks underneath are getting harder to ignore. Special teams have been the clearest issue so far, with an ineffective power play and a penalty kill sitting 15th in the league, leaving Colorado searching for cleaner structure in the moments that so often decide tight games.
The problem showed up again in the loss to Dallas, when a turnover by Cale Makar led to a shorthanded goal against, a sequence that summed up how costly the margin has become. Now there is another wrinkle to watch, with assistant coach Dave Hakstol leaving for Arizona State University and Brett McLean stepping in as his replacement, a change that could bring adjustments to how the Avalanche handle those pressure points. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Just Lost A Key Coach Behind Their Biggest Problem
The Avalanche are set to lose one of their assistant coaches as Dave Hakstol moves on to take over as Arizona States interim head coach, a change that comes after his time in Denver included helping behind the bench in a key role. The shift also carries a personal angle, with Hakstols move tied in part to his son being involved with the Sun Devils club team.
Colorado is expected to fill the opening with Brett MacLean, a former Avalanche player who has also spent time as an assistant with the Vancouver Canucks. It is another behind-the-scenes adjustment for a team that will now look to keep its coaching structure steady as one of its important bench voices heads to the college game. [Read more 🡒]