Dallas Stars defeat Colorado Avalanche 4-2: NHL Recap
Brand Richard notched a goal late in the third period and goalie Kari Lehtonen saved 21 shots, as the Dallas Stars eased past the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 on Thursday night to remain in the play-off race.
Richards also dished out an assist while Loui Eriksson, Tom Wandell and Brenden Morrow each scored a goal for the Stars, who have won three straight games following a six-game losing streak. Jamie Benn also had two assists for the victors.
The result moved Dallas into ninth place in the Western Conference, tied with the Calgary Flames. The Stars are currently two points behind the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks for the final Western Conference play-off berth.
Dallas Captain Brenden Morrow was pleased that his side have given themselves a chance to win the Stanley Cup. He said after the game, “It’s what we play the whole year for. That’s what all the workouts are for in the summer, to be in position to win the
Stanley Cup. We’ve given ourselves a chance.”
Brandon Yip and Mark Olver each lit the lamp for Colorado, who are 4-25-2 in their last 31 games. Goaltender Brian Elliott allowed all four goals on 37 shots in the loss. The Avalanche will finish the year in 29th place in the overall National Hockey League
(NHL) scoring charts.
Despite the defeat, Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco was satisfied with his side’s performance. He said, “Most of the guys can say to themselves that they did everything they could to help the team win. It was good for guys to see what playoff hockey was like,
because for Dallas that was playoff hockey. The intensity was revved up tonight.”
The Stars opened the scoring with less than five minutes remaining in the first stanza when Wandell tucked a wrap around shot past Colorado net-minder. Dallas then doubled their advantage less than a minute later when Eriksson one-timed a shot from the left
circle that beat Elliott to make it 2-0.
The Avalanche cut their deficit to 2-1 in the 11th minute of the second frame. The goal was set up by Philippe Dupuis, who grabbed the disc behind the net and sent a pass to the slot, where Yip banged the puck home.
Dallas extended their lead to 3-1 on the power-play less than a minute into the final stanza. The goal came when Eriksson grabbed the puck and quickly sent a pass to the right circle, where Morrow put the puck in the back of the net for his 31st goal of
the season.
Olver pulled Colorado within another goal in the 12th minute of the final period when he deflected in Ryan Wilson’s point shot to make it 3-2. Richards sealed the victory in the 13th minute of the third frame when he tipped in a rebound to give the Stars
a 4-2 lead.
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