Colin Blackwell scored 17:46 in overtime to give the Dallas stars a 4-3 victory against the Colorado avalanche visiting Monday in match 2 of his series of series of the Stanley Cup playoff in the first round.
The best seven series of the Western Conference is equal to 1-1, with match 3 for Wednesday in Denver.
Stratch Scratch in match 1, Blackwell was inserted into the programming and delivered the first winner in overtime (and just his second goal in the playoffs) of his NHL seven -year career. Blackwell’s initial shooting was blocked by his teammate Sam Steel, but Blackwell then put his own rebound for the goal.
“The first match we lost, but the playoffs (the most desperate team generally wins each evening,” said Blackwell. “… Our guys showed a lot of heart there, certainly in the third period (after), we abandoned a goal at the end of the second period.”
Steel collected two assists for his third career playoff game.
Evgenii Dadonov, Thomas Harley and Tyler Seguin marked for the stars in regulation. Jake Oettinger stopped 34 of the 37 shots, bouncing after a hard defeat in match 1.
Logan O’Connor had a goal and a decisive pass for Colorado. Jack Drury and Nathan Mackinnon scored the other goals from the avalanche.
Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 35 of the 39 shots, making several exceptional stops against an aggressive attack by Dallas.
The avalanche coach, Jared Bednar, said: “We have poorly managed the washer a little in the third period there, or more than a little. We had turnover that was forced because of their foreground and then we had others who were not too much, and I think they all started to add.
“Many things (the game) have been played enough. It is life when you play a team like Dallas stars. We must be better than we were in the third (period).”
Colorado opened the scoring on a power game 8:48 in the first period. Mackinnon found space inside the left circle, then pulled a wrist well placed in front of Oettinger.
With only 54 seconds to play in the first period, Seguin scored a power marker for the equalizer. It was Seguin’s first goal since November 29, because the striker missed 58 regular season games recovering from a hip operation.
The teams exchanged goals in a time of 62 seconds at the start of the second period. Harley temporarily gave Dallas his first advance in the series at 3:40, but Drury quickly equalized the scoring at 4:42.
After the goal of the last minute of Seguin in the first period, O’Connor still reached the second setting more deeply with a spectacular goal at the 19:27 brand. While being lowered by the Dallas Mason striker, O’Connor always had enough strength and the lever to convert an attempt to reverse the slit.
Dadonov again equalized 10:13 in the third period. Wyatt Johnston’s initial shooting was arrested by Blackwood, but Dadonov was in front of the net to rush into the rebound.
“We are just playing the game in the right way,” said Blackwell. “Put slices behind their (defense), ending them each time we can. And it was the formula, especially by going through overtime, knowing that (if) we continue to put rings in the right areas, something will bounce back in our way.”
– field level media