The Colorado Avalanche looked frustrated Saturday night. The Stars held a 2-1 advantage going into the third period in a game where Colorado dominated time in the offensive zone and shot attempts. Colorado led in shots 23-12, and it felt like they carried play throughout most of the night except for those two late goals in each period.
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But Dallas turned Saturday’s game into a mud pit, clogging up the middle of the ice and frustrating the high-flying Avalanche. Dallas eventually scored two empty-net goals to make the 4-1 margin make the game look less competitive than it actually was. Saturday’s third period was the first time this postseason that Colorado didn’t score a third-period goal.
The loss leaves the Avalanche with a pile of questions. Sure, they won the 2022 Stanley Cup and still have one of the most talented rosters left in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But they’ve exited in the first or second round in five of the past six seasons.
Avs-Stars is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET Monday.
First up, the New York Rangers will look to close out the Carolina Hurricanes at home. More on that game below.
Odds are from BetMGM and update live. Buy tickets to see your favorite team on StubHub.
Carolina Hurricanes at New York Rangers — Game 5
How to watch:
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Rangers lead series 3-1
Series odds:
- Carolina battled back with a 4-3 win in Game 4 on home ice to extend this series to at least five games. Despite playing on the road at Madison Square Garden, the Hurricanes are a small favorite in this game.
- This series has been closer than the score indicates. One can even argue that Carolina has been a little unlucky in this series to be down 3-1. Using MoneyPuck’s deserve-to-win meter, Carolina has an expected win percentage of 56.7 percent in Game 1, 66.2 percent in Game 3, and 67.3 percent in Game 4. Only in Game 2 did the Rangers have a better-expected outcome than Carolina.
- Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin has allowed only 19 goals in eight games so far in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He’s currently the favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoffs MVP.
- Jake Guentzel, Stefan Noesen and Seth Jarvis lead the Hurricanes with four goals apiece in the playoffs. Sebastian Aho leads the team with seven assists and 10 points.
- The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus pointed out that the roles flipped in Game 4 for both of these teams. The doubts started to creep in for the Rangers, and the Hurricanes have a little belief that maybe they can come back from a 3-0 deficit in the series.
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BuyDallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche — Game 4
How to watch:
9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Stars lead 2-1
Series odds: Avalanche -115, Stars -105
- Colorado had the NHL’s best home record (31-9-1) during the regular season, and Saturday’s loss in Game 3 at home was their first loss at Ball Arena during these playoffs. The Stars were the NHL’s best road team (26-10-5). Dallas is 3-1 during these playoffs on the road.
- Colorado forward Valeri Nichushkin had his seven-game goal streak snapped in Saturday’s 4-1 loss. He tied for an NHL record with goals in seven straight games to start the playoffs, a record he now holds with Buffalo’s Pat LaFontaine from 1992.
- Stars goalie Jake Oettinger had his best performance of the second round in Game 3 after posting a stellar first round against Vegas. He made 28 saves, including several key stops on power plays, to help the Stars take the 2-1 series lead.
- Dallas forward Logan Stankoven opened up the scoring for Dallas and also scored an empty-net goal. The two goals were first and second career playoff goals in his 10th playoff game. He only scored six goals in 24 regular-season games this year.
Picks standings
(Photo of Brandon Duhaime and Miro Heiskanen: Matthew Stoackman / Getty Images)