The Colorado Avalanche left Wednesday night with a point, but the Dallas Stars got the one that mattered most.
In a game that went all the way to a shootout, the Stars edged the Avalanche 3-2 at home after Colorado had beaten Dallas 3-2 in the first half of the home-and-away. It was tight, tense, and shaped like the kind of matchup these two teams have made a habit of delivering.
That tone showed up immediately. With Cale Makar back after becoming a new dad, the talent level on both sides was high, and so was the attention to detail.
Goals were hard to find, just as you’d expect when two of the league’s better defensive teams get together. Casey DeSmith and Scott Wedgewood both handled their business in net, and the whole thing had the feel of a game with a little extra edge, even if it’s still only seven games into the season.
One of the quieter Avalanche bright spots was Jaden Schwartz, even without a point next to his name. He had a hand in a pair of goals that were later waved off, and his presence kept showing up in the places that matter.
Schwartz now has three goals and six points through seven games, a strong start for a third-line winger. His scoring touch won’t stay this hot forever, but he has already given Colorado a real boost from the bottom six, and his ability to help on the power play only adds to his value.
Brock Nelson also kept rolling. After putting together a 2025-26 season in which he scored 33 goals and earned a nomination for the Selke Trophy, he has opened this year with no signs of backing off.
He tied the game in the third period with his third goal of the season, and he now has points in three of his last four games and goals in two of his last three. Nelson’s start at the faceoff dot has been a little slow - he’s winning just 46.6% of his draws - but that feels like a small detail in the bigger picture of how well he’s playing.
At 35, he’s giving Colorado exactly what it hoped for: a reliable 200-foot center who can play alongside Nathan MacKinnon and make the middle of the ice dangerous.
Even with the shootout loss, the Avalanche still came away from the Dallas back-to-back in solid shape. They took three of four possible points against the Stars, a useful response after the back-and-forth loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
And the schedule ahead gives them a real chance to keep pushing. Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Jersey twice, Nashville, Calgary, and Chicago are all sitting in the next eight games, which opens the door for Colorado to build some momentum as November arrives.
In Other News...
Stars Survived A Wild Avalanche Battle Colorado Won't Soon Forget
Cale Makar was back in the Avalanche lineup after missing the previous game for the birth of his twin boys, and Colorado got the kind of high-drama return game that reminded everyone how thin the margin can be against Dallas. The Stars came away with a 3-2 shootout win in a matchup that had plenty going on for Colorado, including notable nights from Gabriel Landeskog, Brock Nelson and Nazem Kadri.
The game took on even more frustration for the Avalanche when two potential goals were taken off the board, one on an offside review and another for a kicking motion. Dallas survived all of that, then finished the job in the shootout to leave Colorado with a loss it will not forget anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Suddenly Have A Lineup Decision Fans Will Be Watching
The Avalanches coaching staff changed this week with the hiring of Brett McLean, but the more immediate ripple for Dallas is on the roster side. The Stars are still sorting through their center depth as they wait for Wyatt Johnston to get back into the mix, a boost that would help after he missed the recent games against Colorado because of an illness.
Oskar Backs situation adds another layer to the picture. He left last nights win over Colorado with an upper-body injury, and Dallas has not confirmed his status for Saturday, leaving the Stars with at least one lineup spot very much up in the air. For a team trying to settle in after a tight stretch, the timing of Johnstons return and Backs availability could matter just as much as anything happening behind the bench in Denver. [Read more 🡒]
Dallas Stars Prospects Are Already Raising An Uncomfortable Early Question
The Texas Stars have had a choppy opening to the AHL season, with a shootout win and a shootout loss followed by back-to-back defeats against Hershey. The results have been uneven enough on their own, but the bigger concern for Dallas is the early offensive shape of the roster, which has produced just eight regulation goals in four games. Mike Sgarbossa has led the way in points, and a few newcomers have given the lineup some life, including goaltender Brandon Halverson and defenseman Jack Anderson.
Emil Hemming was always going to be watched closely, and so far the early returns have been quiet. The top prospect is still looking for his first point of the season, and the blank slate has now stretched into a longer scoreless run at the pro level. For a farm team trying to find consistency, that leaves one of the organizations most important young forwards stuck in the middle of an uncomfortable early question about when the production is going to arrive. [Read more 🡒]