Miro Heiskanen scored twice and Roope Hintz tallied once in a four-point performance to lead the host Dallas Stars to a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
The Western Conference semifinal series is tied 1-1 with Game 3 of the best-of-seven series set for Saturday in Denver.
“It’s huge,” Heiskanen said of the victory. “We were down 2-0 to Vegas and it’s a lot better to be 1-1. It was a huge win for us.”
Tyler Seguin and Esa Lindell also scored for the Stars, who held a 4-0 lead through two periods and hung on for the victory. Goaltender Jake Oettinger made 28 saves, including a handful when it was a one-goal game and during a late Colorado power play.
Dallas also led 3-0 in the series opener but couldn’t hold on.
“We have to keep playing the same way we were in the couple of first periods,” Heiskanen said. “If we sit back and give them more time and space, they’re a good team and they’re going to make you pay.”
Joel Kiviranta, Brandon Duhaime and Valeri Nichushkin found the net for the Avalanche, who had won five consecutive games. Goalie Alexandar Georgiev stopped 26 shots.
Heiskanen’s power-play goal opened the scoring 14:46 into the contest and provided the Stars a much-needed lead. After taking a cross-ice feed from Hintz, Heiskanen buried a one-timer.
Hintz doubled the lead 1:57 into the second period with his second of the playoffs. Within a minute after Game 1 overtime hero Miles Wood was denied on a partial breakaway, the Stars enjoyed an odd-man rush that ended with Hintz burying a sharp-angled shot.
Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said of Hintz and Seguin scoring, “Those guys want to win and want to be difference makers. They’re used to being difference makers. It’s critical those guys started to scored. … The right guys got on the board for us.”
Heiskanen’s second power-play goal, at 15:54 of the middle frame, extended the edge. Heiskanen had his point shot tick off a defender’s stick and into the top corner for his third of the playoffs.
Seguin’s short-handed goal at 18:06 of the second period made it a 4-0 game. During an odd-man rush, Seguin buried a rebound chance for his first of the postseason.
“The second period, for me, is where it fell apart,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “Just not sharp. Just go to the penalties alone, two too-man-men-on-the-ice penalties and two pucks-over-the-glass penalties. That’s eight minutes in power plays you’re giving a really good power-play team.
“The rest of our execution and frustration kept building from there. … Just not disciplined. Too stubborn with the puck and lacked the work needed to have success.”
Colorado defenseman Cale Makar added, “A lot of those goals were on us. Just unfortunate. They just kind of keep compounding like that early in the game.”
Kiviranta, who returned after missing the past three games, put the Avalanche on the board at 4:06 of the third period when he pounced on a rebound for his first of the playoffs.
Duhaime halved Colorado’s deficit four minutes later when he netted his first career playoff goal by joining a rush and ripping a high shot.
Nichushkin netted his ninth of the playoffs to make it a one-goal game with 3:44 remaining in regulation when a shot banked off his leg.
Lindell’s empty-net goal with 21 seconds remaining sealed Dallas’ victory.
–Field Level Media
