The Colorado Avalanche have given themselves a chance, and it’s all they were looking for. Down 3-1 in the second-round series against the Dallas Stars, the Avs took advantage in Game Five and forced Game Six back at Ball Arena tonight.
With all the drama and controversy surrounding the team this week, they rebounded brilliantly, left it all in the locker room, and performed on the ice. With a win Friday night, they’ll be looking to force a Game 7 for a second consecutive postseason.
Colorado Avalanche (6-4-0)
Colorado completed yet another comeback on Wednesday night in Dallas, winning 5-3. It took two goals from Cale Makar and an amazing performance from Nathan MacKinnon with a goal and an assist to take the series back to Denver.
For the first time all series, the Avs took the lead and never looked back once they did. While it was good to finally get the lead and hold it, coming back from behind will never always work – look at last season in the first round against the Seattle Kraken.
Hence, with the team coming home, they will be looking to score the game’s first goal for the first time in this series. Plus, seeking vengeance would be great for them after dropping the first two home games of this series. They will have to do it without Yakov Trenin, who is day-to-day. Expect Chris Wagner to enter the side in another must-win game.
Projected Lines
Jonathan Drouin (27) – Nathan MacKinnon (29) – Mikko Rantanen (96)
Artturi Lehkonen (62) – Casey Mittelstadt (37) – Zach Parise (9)
Miles Wood (28) – Ross Colton (20) – Joel Kiviranta (94)
Andrew Cogliano (11) – Chris Wagner (14) – Brandon Duhaime (12)
Devon Toews (7) – Cale Makar (8)
Sam Girard (49) – Josh Manson (42)
Jack Johnson (3) – Sean Walker (26)
Alexandar Georgiev (40)
Dallas Stars (7-4-1)
Dallas must feel the pressure after losing Game Five on home ice with a chance to close the series. You could see them sitting on the bench frustrated after the defeat, knowing they needed to get back on the plane to Colorado.
It isn’t going to be easy, as this long run of consistently playing every other day might be catching up to them. This is their 13th game in 26 days dating back to the first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Health has also become a concern, with Chris Tanev battling a mouth injury when his tooth was pulled out last game. But more concerningly, Roope Hintz will miss a second straight game through injury. The top-line center must watch from afar and hope his team closes out the deal.
Projected Lines
Jason Robertson (21) — Tyler Seguin (91) — Logan Stankoven (11)
Jamie Benn (16) — Wyatt Johnston (53) — Joe Pavelski (16)
Mason Marchment (27) — Matt Duchene (95) — Evgenii Dadonov (63)
Craig Smith (15) — Radek Faksa (18) — Sam Steel (18)
Thomas Harley (55) – Miro Heiskanen (4)
Esa Lindell (23) – Chris Tanev (3)
Ryan Suter (20) – Nils Lundkvist (5)
Jake Oettinger (29)
Broadcast Details
Time: 8:00 p.m. MT
Watch: TNT, truTV, Max, Sportsnet, FX-CA, TVAS
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio FM 92.5
Opponent’s Beat: Defending Big D