Martin Necas scored the first of two third-period goals which helped the visiting Colorado Avalanche blank the Dallas Stars 2-0 on Saturday.

Nathan MacKinnon added his NHL-leading 51st goal with 58 seconds remaining after Necas opened the scoring with 9:21 left.

The top two teams in the Central Division and the Western Conference split four meetings this season. This was the first result that did not require a shootout.

Necas’ winner came off assists from Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews. The Avalanche kept the puck in the zone off a failed Dallas clear. Toews sent the puck into the middle to Lehkonen, who worked into some space in the middle of the ice before finding Necas on the back doorstep for the easy tap-in.

Necas’ goal was his 36th of the season, a career high. His 14 goals since the Olympics break are tied for second in the league. Toews’ assist was the 300th point of his career.

It was the fifth straight road win for Colorado (50-15-10, 110 points), which is on the verge of clinching the Presidents’ Trophy. It was also a good response, particularly defensively, to a sloppy 8-6 home defeat to Vancouver on Wednesday.

Scott Wedgewood made 17 saves for his third shutout of the season. He came into the game with an NHL-leading 2.19 goals-against average and .916 save percentage, improving to 28-6-6.

For Dallas (45-20-12, 102 points), which fell to 3-6-2 since a 14-0-1 run skyrocketed the team up the standings, Casey DeSmith matched Wedgewood save for save through two and a half periods. He made 20 stops, but fell to 0-4-1 in his last five.

MacKinnon provided insurance with an empty-netter. He’s third in the league with 122 points. Necas assisted, giving him a career-high 58 assists and 94 points.

Colorado defenseman Brent Burns became just the second NHL player ever, and first blueliner, to play 1,000 consecutive regular-season games. The 2017 Norris Trophy winner, while with San Jose, Burns has not missed a game in 12 years and 138 days, dating back to November 17, 2013.

–Field Level Media