After a home overtime loss to the Islanders Monday, Dallas has no answers in Colorado.
Things don't always go according to plan. But every once in a while, the end result is better than the original.
Logan Stankoven's parents and teenage sister were scheduled to fly home to British Columbia after watching him score his first NHL point and first goal in a Monday home loss to the New York Islanders.
Due to inclement weather and canceled connections, the family found themselves stranded in an airport.
Turns out, that airport was in Denver, where the Stars were preparing to face the Colorado Avalanche, who trailed Dallas by four points in the Central Division. So Stankoven's family got to take in his third NHL game the day after his 21st birthday. A Stars win would be the icing on the cake.
The Avalanche had no interest in being hospitable hosts, cruising to a 5-1 victory and drawing to within two points of the Central Division lead. After the Stars jumped on top 1-0 early, Colorado unloaded for five unanswered goals, three of them coming in the second period.
For a brief moment, it looked like Logan Stankoven would work his magic and power the Stars to a much-needed victory. Just one minute into the first period, the young phenom made his family proud. Taking a feed from Wyatt Johnston in front of the net, Stankoven got one past Avs goalie Alexandar Georgiev on the high side for a 1-0 Stars lead. It was Stankoven's third point and second goal in his three-game NHL career. Johnston and Jason Robertson were each credited with an assist.
Colorado didn't have the best home record in the NHL (22-6-0) for nothing. Just 68 seconds later, Joel Kiviranta nailed a one-timer past Jake Oettinger from the right circle on a 3-on-2 rush to tie the game. It was Kiviranta's first point in 12 games and third goal of the season, with an assist from Andrew Cogliano.
The Avalanche were back on the scoreboard at the 5:58 mark when Mikko Rantanen scored on a rebound following several chances by Nathan MacKinnon for a 2-1 lead.
Colorado had a chance to increase the lead late in the period on a MacKinnon mini breakaway, but Oettinger made the save to keep the game at 2-1 heading into the first intermission.
Dallas handled the puck well and kept up with a fast-paced Avalanche team. The only question was whether they could keep up the tempo for 40 more minutes.
It was too much to hope for. The Avs reeled off three goals in the second period for a 5-1 lead, the first two coming within less than a minute of each other.
Cogliano started the flurry by stealing the puck and nailing a wrist shot from inside the left circle on a 2-on-1 rush for his second point of the night.
MacKinnon struck 48 seconds later to make it 4-1 on a backhander at the net for his 35th goal and 98th point of the season, leading the Avs in both categories.
Johnston picked up a costly delay of game penalty. Artturi Lehkonen capitalized on the power play at 14:15 following a dazzling passing sequence to put his team comfortably in front 5-1. Jonathan Drouin and Mikko Rantanen assisted.
It was all the scoring the Avs would need, as they put the game in cruise control for their third win over the Stars in three meetings this season. The win also draws them to within two points of the Central Division's top spot.
Oettinger was quick to take responsibility for the loss.
"I knew what the situation was, I knew I had to step up," Oettinger said after the game. "I felt like I was a save or two short."
In what's becoming a familiar refrain the past week, the Stars led in numerous categories except the one that counts the most: the scoreboard.
Dallas outshot the Avs 34-27 for the game, 15-6 in the second period when the Avs scored three of their five goals. The Stars outdid Colorado in shots attempted (63-51), quality shot chances (31-23) and the teams each had 12 blocks.
"You've got to control their speed," Stars coach Pete DeBoer told reporters after the game. "I thought for parts of the game we did. We held onto the puck in the offensive zone, but there were moments when their speed overwhelmed us and they stuck it in the net."
Assessing the reasons for Dallas' loss sounds more like a list of excuses than logical facts: numerous injuries, 12 games in 22 days, three back-to-backs in the month of February. While those reasons are all legitimate, you won't hear the Stars' players and coaches making excuses for their inconsistent play.
"The guys didn't quit," DeBoer said. "They worked hard. You gotta have a short memory in this league and get ready for the next game."
Tuesday's loss made the Central Division race tighter. The Winnipeg Jets, trailing Dallas by two points out of first place, took down the St. Louis Blues 4-2 to draw even in points. The Stars drop to 35-17-9 for 79 points, while Winnipeg moves to 37-17-5 for 79 points, although the Stars have played four more games.
Dallas returns home to face the Jets Thursday in a battle for the top spot. With 21 games left in the regular season, the Central Division should be an exciting fight to the finish, provided the Stars can regain the momentum they had coming out of the All-Star break.
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