After a disappointing Game 4 in Colorado, the Dallas Stars put the 4-0 loss behind them and scored early and often en route to a 6-2 win over the Avalanche Monday night.

The win puts Dallas ahead 3-2 in the series, where the Stars are 21-3 in franchise history with such a lead in the series. And just like last season's second round, Dallas has a chance to close the series out in Game 6 in Colorado.

Former Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen finally scored his first playoff goal with the Stars, and Wyatt Johnston scored the fastest opening goal in Dallas postseason history only nine seconds in to the first period.

The series was tied 2-2, and Dallas had only squeaked out two overtime wins, so this game had huge implications, more so for the Stars who had struggled even while winning.

Before the game, head coach Pete DeBoer made it clear that he needed several of his biggest players to step up. Johnston, who had yet to score a goal in this series, put Dallas on the board within nine seconds of puck drop by banking a shot in off of Mackenzie Blackwood. Prior to this goal, the Stars had only lead the series a little over a minute, and this was their change to start chipping away at that stat.

Colorado never led after that, even though they gave it a scare in the second period.

Thomas Harley doubled the Stars lead in the final minute of the first period when Blackwood blockered the shot straight up into the air, and it bounced off his back and in. The Stars were on the receiving end of the flukey goals in Game 1, but finally got some puck luck Monday night.

Dallas extended their lead to three goals when Roope Hintz was on a 2-on-1 with Rantanen and fed him a perfect pass for a tap-in goal, which shook the building with the crowd explosion. It seemed pretty in control, but the Avalanche are never quite dead, which Dallas learned in last season's series.

Arturri Lehkonen broke the shutout when he tipped a pass past Jake Oettinger after finding himself wide open in front of the net. Then, moments later, Nathan MacKinnon skated past Matt Duchene and into the slot, where he fired a wrist shot past Oettinger to cut the Stars lead to one goal in no time.

But Dallas got a power play later in the period, which felt like a must-score situation now only protecting a one goal lead, and they were able to gain the momentum back. Duchene found Johnston on a cross-crease pass that left Blackwood no chance and extended the lead to two goals again.

Then, as the period was expiring, Mason Marchment tipped a soft shot from the point from Alexander Petrovic that snuck past Blackwood and regained the Stars three goal lead and essentially killed the quick Avalanche comeback attempt.

Colorado sent out backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood out for the third period to hold it down against his former team, and Dallas stayed aggressive all period. The Avs had chances but couldn't get one back to start any last comeback efforts, and Dallas cemented the game away as Hintz scored the empty net goal to make the final score 6-2.

Defenseman Lian Bichsel sent Colorado packing in the final moments of the game with a bit of a rough-up of their fourth line, which caused the crowd to erupt in adoration one more time.

The Stars feel like they are gaining momentum and have their sights set at something they couldn't do in the first round last season against Vegas - square things away on the road in Game 6 rather than putting everything into a grueling Game 7.

Duchene finished off Colorado in double overtime in Game 6 last season, and Dallas will surely look to play a grind-it-out type road game like that and like Game 3 of this series, where a low scoring win was good enough to get it done.

The teams now have two days off before squaring off on Thursday night.

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