Colorado's suffocating defensive structure held Dallas scoreless through 40 minutes before a third-period eruption sealed a 2–0 road win that reinforces the Avalanche's Central Division dominance heading into the playoff stretch. Special teams cancelled out on both sides, so this game was decided by 5v5 control, turnover discipline, and goaltending margin.
⚡TURNING POINT
MacKinnon's empty-net goal at 19:02 of the third eliminated any mathematical path for Dallas to recover, converting Colorado's one-goal cushion into an insurmountable lead with under a minute remaining. It was decisive because it closed the only scenario — a Dallas tying goal — that could have extended the game.
🏆WHY COL WON
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Colorado's takeaway margin was the game's defining territorial stat: 8 takeaways against Dallas's 1 denied zone time and stifled offensive generation.
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Wedgewood conceded 1.70 goals fewer than league-average on 17 shots — in a 2-goal game, that margin was the difference between winning and not.
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Faceoff dominance at 55.1% gave Colorado consistent puck retrieval and denied Dallas clean zone entries throughout.
📉WHY DAL LOST
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Dallas generated only 17 shots in 60 minutes, leaving DeSmith with insufficient support despite his performance.
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Robertson led Dallas skaters with 4 shots on goal in 24:52 but finished -2, indicating the top line's offensive pressure was repeatedly countered at the cost of defensive exposure.
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A single takeaway across the entire game meant Dallas could not disrupt Colorado's structure or generate secondary offense.
Three Stars
Martin Necas1st
COL, C
1G 1A 2P3 SOGTOI 21:19+2
Necas was the connective tissue of both goals — his primary assist opened the scoring and his secondary assist on MacKinnon's goal sealed it.
Scott Wedgewood2nd
COL, G
SV% 1.00017/17 savesTOI 60:00
Wedgewood conceded 1.70 goals fewer than league-average on 17 shots — in a 2-goal game, that margin directly preserved the result.
Casey DeSmith3rd
DAL, G
SV% 0.95220/21 savesTOI 58:17
DeSmith conceded 1.10 goals fewer than league-average on 21 shots, giving Dallas every chance to steal a point that the skaters could not convert.
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Colorado won this game in the turnover battle — 8 takeaways to Dallas's 1 is not a stat line, it's a structural dismantling.
