The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche faced each other in Game 4 on Monday night. The Stars destroyed the Avalanche 5-1 at Ball Arena. Dallas leads the series 3-1 over Colorado.
The Stars’ starting lineup featured Jamie Benn, Joe Pavelski, Wyatt Johnston, Chris Tanev, Esa Lindell, and Jake Oettinger. Oettinger made 26 saves for a win. Meanwhile, Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev made 29 saves in a losing effort.
The Stars dominated in the first period, but the Avalanche apparently struggled. Valeri Nichuskin was suspended for at least six months and placed in Stage 3 of the NHL Players’ Association player assistance program, while Devon Toews missed the game because of an illness.
The Stars drew first blood late in the first period. Wyatt Johnston fired a wrist shot into the Avalanche’s net for a short-handed goal and a 1-0 lead at 15:37. Sam Steel collected the lone assist on Johnston’s sixth of the playoffs.
The Stars led the Avalanche 1-0 after the first period. Dallas dominated in shots, outshooting Colorado 14-2 after 20 minutes.
The Stars made it a two-goal game early in the second period. Caleb Jones was called for hooking against Logan Stankoven at 3:59. Wyatt Johnston blasted a snap shot into the Avalanche’s net for a power-play goal and a 2-0 lead at 5:46. Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen collected the assists on Johnston’s seventh of the playoffs.
The Avalanche picked up the pace in second-period shots, but the Stars remained on top.
The Stars took a three-goal lead midway through the second period. Miro Heiskanen fired a wrist shot into the Avalanche’s net to make it a 3-0 game at 11:24. Logan Stankoven and Jason Robertson collected the assists on Heiskanen’s fourth of the playoffs.
The Avalanche quickly responded to stop the Stars’ shutout bid. Casey Mittelstadt fired a wrist shot into the Stars’ net to cut the lead to 3-1 at 12:35. Jonathan Drouin collected the lone assist on Mittelstadt’s second of the playoffs.
The Stars brought a 3-1 lead to the locker room after two periods. Dallas outshot Colorado 29-13 through 40 minutes.
The Stars opened the third-period scoring. Evgenii Dadonov fired a wrist shot into the Avalanche’s net to extend the Stars’ lead to 4-1 at 9:27. Mason Marchment and Miro Heiskanen collected the assists on Dadonov’s third of the playoffs.
The Avalanche pulled their goalie for an extra attacker late in the third period. Sam Steel fired a wrist shot into the Avalanche’s net for an empty-net goal and a 5-1 lead at 18:10. Wyatt Johnston and Tyler Seguin collected the assists on Steel’s first of the playoffs.
The Stars defeated the Avalanche 5-1 after three periods. Dallas outshot Colorado 34-27 after 60 minutes.
Notes
Injury Update
Roope Hintz left Game 4 with an upper-body injury. Hintz recorded eight shifts in 6:35 minutes of total ice time before leaving.
Watch Party
The Stars hosted a Game 4 watch party at the Shark Club Sports Bar in Plano on Monday at 8:30 p.m. Central.
Mother’s Day
According to the NHL, Mercedes Robertson has earned the ultimate Hockey Mom status. If you’d like to learn more about Jason Robertson’s family, you can watch the NHL’s full feature here.
Up Next
The Stars will return to Dallas for Game 5 versus the Avalanche on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Central.
ITR 40: Headed For A Repeat? – Inside The Rink
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