The Colorado Avalanche took Game 1 of Round 1 against the Dallas Stars 5-1 at American Airlines Arena on Saturday night, scoring three goals in the final seven minutes to go up 1-0 in the best-of-seven series.
Related: Avalanche vs. Stars: 2025 Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoff Preview
Artturi Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews, and Charlie Coyle scored for the Avalanche. Mackenzie Blackwood made 23 saves in a stellar Stanley Cup Playoffs debut.
Roope Hintz scored the lone goal for Dallas. Jake Oettinger made 19 saves.
Game Recap
There was a buzz in the air right from puck-drop, and it translated on the ice as both teams came out to play in the first. Both goaltenders had to make big saves to keep the 0-0 tie, and special teams were a factor early.
The Stars killed off a 5-on-3 power play that started less than five minutes into the game, with Mason Marchment and Wyatt Johnston taking penalties within 30 seconds of each other that were both drawn by Cale Makar. The Avalanche killed one of their own due to a Josh Manson holding call.
The scoreless tie was broken at 9:30 of the second as Lehkonen crashed the net chasing his own rebound and kicked it as a result of Mavrik Bourque dragging him to the ice. After review, the goal stood.
MacKinnon doubled the lead on the power play at 16:38 after drawing the double-minor for high-sticking. MacKinnon took a wrist shot from the left circle that deflected off of Ilya Lyubushkin and wobbled past Oettinger glove side.
Halfway through a badly executed power play in the third period, coach Pete DeBoer called a timeout, and did it at the right time. In the dying seconds of the man advantage, Hintz put the Stars on the board on a tip-in goal off a Thomas Harley shot from the point.
After a flurry of action and some big saves in the Colorado zone, the Avalanche took a 3-1 lead on a Manson-to-Toews tip-in play at the other end.
MacKinnon added an empty-netter at 16:52, and Coyle poured salt in the wound at 17:03 to make the final score 5-1.
The Avalanche went 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Stars went 1-for-3. Both teams had 24 shots on goal.
Up Next
Game 2 is on Tuesday night at 9:30 EST, back in Dallas.
