The Avalanche left Dallas with exactly the kind of road win that can steady a team fast: a 3-2 victory over the Stars built almost entirely by their top line. Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen accounted for all three Colorado goals, and that was enough to take two points from one of their biggest rivals.
MacKinnon didn’t just pile up offense. He opened the night with an assist on Lehkonen’s first-period goal, added another assist to start the second period, and then crossed into the extra-intense part of the evening by dropping the gloves with Roope Hintz.
MacKinnon already had 10 points in five games before this one, and now he’s up to seven assists. The fight only added to the edge he brought to the game.
When your best player is willing to shed the mitts and throw hands, the message is pretty clear.
Blackwood’s night deserves just as much attention. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 24 of 26 shots, and one of his best moments came on a glove save against Sam Steel.
With trade rumors having swirled around him and his start drawing scrutiny, this was the kind of performance Colorado needed from him. The Avalanche are leaning on a goaltending setup that includes Scott Wedgewood for 30 or more games a season, but Blackwood gave them a strong answer in a game that mattered.
Necas kept the pressure on Dallas in a big way. He scored twice in the second period, with both goals coming more than 13 minutes apart and both set up by MacKinnon.
Through six games, Necas has four goals and seven points, and he looks well on his way in the race to match his first 100-point season. When he’s clicking alongside Lehkonen and MacKinnon, the Avalanche have a line that’s hard to stay with.
He may not be at Mikko Rantanen’s level, but he fits what Colorado needs.
Dallas did push back. Roope Hintz scored three minutes into the third period to trim the Avalanche lead to 3-2, but Colorado still looked in control for much of the night. Even without Cale Makar, the visitors had enough firepower and enough bite to handle the moment.
The rematch comes quickly, with the teams meeting again in Denver on Wednesday. Wedgewood is likely to get the start, and Colorado will be aiming for another important divisional win before hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.
In Other News...
Stars Loss To Colorado Exposed An Early Problem They Can't Ignore
The Stars 3-2 loss to Colorado still had a few encouraging individual takeaways, even if the final result exposed an issue they need to clean up quickly. Wyatt Johnston was out because of an illness, which pushed Sam Steel into a second-line role, and he handled the added responsibility well enough to keep Dallas forward mix functional in a tougher matchup.
Tyler Seguin was another bright spot, scoring on the power play and continuing to show how much he can still drive the offense when Dallas needs a lift. But the bigger concern was discipline, and one costly penalty undercut the kind of effort that might otherwise have earned the Stars something more from a game they were in right to the end. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Catch A Break In Dallas But Face A Bigger Concern
Wyatt Johnstons absence before puck drop gave Dallas a rare lineup wrinkle, and it came with immediate ripple effects. The Stars had to shuffle their forward group, moving Sam Steel to center and even turning to defenseman Kyle Capobianco in a forward role as they worked around the missing piece in the middle of the ice.
For Johnston, the bigger note is not just the disruption to Dallas plans but the end of a remarkable run that had held since his debut in October 2022. With other injuries and absences also affecting the broader matchup, the Stars are left balancing short-term lineup changes against the kind of availability questions that can change the look of a game in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Roope Hintz Sent A Message Stars Fans Wont Ignore
Roope Hintz brought a little extra edge to a familiar Central Division matchup Tuesday night, and it came in a way Stars fans do not often see from one of the teams quietest stars. The Dallas forward got involved in a second-period scrap with Nathan MacKinnon, adding a new layer to a rivalry that already had some history between the two players. For a Stars team that leans on Hintz for skill and composure, the moment stood out as much for its timing as for the message it sent.
Hintz followed it up with a goal in the third period, turning a chippy game into one that felt even more personal. Colorado had its own response, and the sequence only sharpened the stakes in a matchup between two contenders that rarely need extra fuel to get going. Between the fight, the scoring, and the reaction from both benches, this was the kind of night that reminded everyone these games can carry more than just points in the standings. [Read more 🡒]