It is not common to have a must win game so early in a playoff series, let alone in the first round, but for the Dallas Stars on Monday any less than a victory was not satisfactory. The Stars were coming off a disappointing result in Game 1 as they fell 5-1 at home.
Dallas came into Game 2 looking to flip the script after dropping Game One on Saturday. That wasn't the case early on, as the Avalanche proved to be too fast for the Stars to handle as they sped up and down the ice to gain the advantage early on. The Avalanche would ultimately go on the power play after Mason Marchment took a penalty 8:19 into the first period. Nathan Mackinnon ripped a shot from the left circle through traffic that squeaked by Jake Oettinger to get Colorado on the board first. Dallas answered back at the end of the period when Tyler Seguin unloaded a one-timer to even up the score. The goal marks Seguin's first since Nov. 11th, against the Colorado Avalanche.
Heading into the second period, Dallas would continue to go check for check with Colorado, as well as physical play along the boards. That play would pay off when the Stars would fight for a puck in the corner and swing it out to the point to Thomas Harley would fling a shot through traffic and past goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood. The 2-1 lead proved to not be enough as the Avalanche tacked on two goals of their own, coming from Jack Drury and Logan O'Connor to put the Stars in a precarious situation heading into the third period.
The third period of the Game 2 would be the most important period of hockey the Stars would play all year, as the possibility of going on the road to Colorado with a two-game deficit is an almost impossible mountain to climb back from. Dallas showed up and showed out as to why they were one of the best teams in the NHL this season. Evegenii Dadonov got down and dirty by jamming a wobbly puck throw the legs of Mackenzie Blackwood to tie the game up at 10:13. Dallas would carry that momentum into overtime, not letting up on the physical style that kept Monday night's game close. It would eventually pay off when Collin Blackwell collected his own rebound and whilsted a wrister that hit twine to not only bring home the victory, but also even the series up at one.
With one mountain conquered, another mountain appears in front of the Stars' Stanley Cup path. Dallas and Colorado will match up once again on Wednesday night in Colorado. While Dallas has not had any success in Colorado this season as they dropped both road trips to the Ball Arena. The Stars can hang their heads high, reminiscing about the success they had in that arena during last year's playoff run where they swept the Avalanche in their own arena.
Stars and Avalanche collide for Game 3 tomorrow night for a 8:30 CDT, and can be viewed on TBS, TruTV, MAX, and Victory+.
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