In the NHL, everyone knows that winning the fourth game of a series is the toughest task in the Stanley Cup. The Dallas Stars were the third team in the second round of the playoffs to have a chance to advance to the conference finals, but they failed to close it out on their first attempt, despite having everything in their favor. Playing at home, facing an opponent that lost one of its top offensive leaders and tournament-leading scorer Valeri Nichushkin, and holding a 9-1 goal differential over the previous two games, the Stars couldn’t seal the deal. The Colorado Avalanche, however, are no strangers to playing without Nichushkin. Whether they have enough firepower to win two more consecutive games remains uncertain, but this team is not so weak as to lose the series 1-4 even against the Western Conference’s regular-season champion.
The start of Game 5 didn’t go well for Jared Bednar’s squad. Dallas applied pressure from the opening minutes, resulting in a logical goal from Joe Pavelski, who had been quiet for much of this postseason. That was his first goal of the current playoff run and his 74th career postseason tally, thanks to a defensive turnover by the Avalanche in their own zone. Colorado capitalized on their first power play opportunity. Ryan Suter took a penalty for hooking Nathan MacKinnon, and with just 0.6 seconds left in the second period, Artturi Lehkonen tied the game.
The second period saw more active play from Colorado, but midway through, Devon Toews was penalized for shooting the puck over the glass, and Dallas converted on the power play. Miro Heiskanen scored his fifth goal of the playoffs. However, the Avalanche equalized again before the period ended, also on the power play, ending an eight-man advantage drought in the series. Cale Makar fired a precise shot into the top corner.
The third period was the most eventful. Casey Mittelstadt put Colorado ahead with a shot from close range, almost at a zero angle, that hit the post, then Jake Oettinger’s skate, and bounced in. That goal seemed to demoralize the goaltender, as just over three minutes later, Oettinger allowed a soft goal on a simple shot by Makar. Those who thought the Avalanche had sealed the win were soon nervous again: Esa Lindell’s shot was tipped in by Logan Stankoven, cutting the lead to one. Then, another Colorado leader, Nathan MacKinnon, scored from close range to set the final score. For Jared Bednar, this was his 49th career Stanley Cup victory, tying the franchise record set by Bob Hartley. Whether he reaches 50 will be decided on Friday night.
Bookmakers offer the following odds for Game 6 of the series:
– Colorado Avalanche win: from 2.32 to 2.38
– Dallas Stars win: from 2.64 to 2.68
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