The Colorado Avalanche got two goals from Cale Makar to take Game 5 from the Dallas Stars and fend off elimination in their NHL playoff series. The Stars will take a 3-2 lead when the two teams head back to Colorado for Game 6 of their series on Friday, May 17.
The Stars got on the board in the first period when Jason Robertson poked the puck away from an Avalanche player to Matt Duchene, who sent it to the front of the net, where Joe Pavelski redirected it past Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev.
Pavelski’s goal improved his postseason totals to 74-67-141 (194 GP), the third most by a U.S.-born player. He moved within three of Chris Chelios (31-113-144 in 266 GP), who sits second. He also became the 13th player in NHL history to score 15-plus goals in potential series-clinching games and the first active skater to do so, with Patrick Kane having 14.
Arrturi Lehkonen tied the game on a power-play goal with less than one second remaining in the first period. Nathan MacKinnon recorded the only assist on the goal. He collected his third postseason with at least 10-plus assists and now trails only Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg (both with five) for the most in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history.
The two teams traded goals in the second period. Miro Heiskanen scored on the power play before Cale Makar tied the game while the Avalanche had the man advantage. It was his 15th career playoff goal and tied Sergei Zubov and Craig Hartsburg for the most by a defenseman in Stars/Minnesota North Stars history.
With just over a minute gone in the first period, Casey Mittlestadt scored to give the Avalanche a 3-2 lead. It was the Avalanche’s first lead in regulation in the series.
Makar scored his second goal just a few minutes later, but the Stars got a goal from Logan Stankoven to cut the Avalanche lead to one less than a minute later. MacKinnon scored with just over three minutes left in the game to give the Avalanche their 5-3 victory.
Stars Get Reinforcements
Before the game, the Stars recalled forward Mavrik Bourque and defensemen Lian Bichsel and Alexander Petrovic from the Texas Stars, Dallas’ affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).
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The 22-year-old Bourque earned the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the AHL’s leading scorer during the 2023-24 regular season, posting 77 points (26-51-77) in 71 games with Texas, and he was awarded the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s Most Valuable Player for the 2023-24 regular season.
Bichsel, 19, started the 2023-24 regular season with Texas, where he recorded seven points (1-6-7) in 16 games. Reassigned to Rögle BK on Dec. 4, 2023, he registered four points (2-2-4) in 29 regular-season contests. He added six points (1-5-6) in 15 playoff games and scored the lone goal in Rögle BK’s 1-0 victory over Skellefteå AIK in Game 2 of the SHL Championship while the 32-year-old Petrovic tallied five goals and 17 assists for a total of 22 points in 70 regular-season games with Texas this season.
With their win tonight, Colorado earned its fifth comeback win of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, tied with 1999 for the third most in a playoff year in Avalanche/Nordiques history behind only 1996 (eight) and 2022 (ten) – two of the three years they won the Stanley Cup.
