DENVER — Midway through the third period of Game 4 on Monday night, Evgeni Dadonov scored the goal that killed the Ball Arena crowd.
Leading 3-1 with 10 minutes remaining, Miro Heiskanen fired a shot into the back of the net. Mason Marchment capitalized on the play and Dadonov sent it home to give Dallas a three-point lead late in the game.
The crowd fell silent.
Less than five minutes later, Colorado fans were running for the exits for what could be their last game of the season. Those nearby watched as the Stars scored another goal into an empty net.
The Stars treated the avalanche in Games 3 and 4, dominating the league's best home team to take a 3-1 lead in the series and return to Dallas for Game 5. The Stars are one win away from clinching a spot. Reaching the Western Conference finals for the second year in a row would give them home ice advantage over Edmonton and Vancouver.
“We're just trying to go out and play Stars hockey,” Stars forward Joe Pavelski said. “We're just playing. It's a great time of year to play.”
In this series, the Stars defeated the Avalanche 9-2 in two road games in Denver. But it wasn't until Monday that Dallas got the decisive victory after an 11-game wait.
Throughout the entire Vegas series and the first three games of the Stars-Avalanche series, every game was decided by one goal. A few empty-netters here and there widened the final margin of victory, but Dallas' 4-1 lead on Monday (eventually a 5-1 finish thanks to Sam Steele's empty-net goal) ) was the most overwhelming victory of the tournament. play off.
“We wanted to take control and get off to a great start,” Heiskanen said. “I think we played great in the first period and I thought we played pretty good in the second period as well. We defended really well there. I think it was a good game overall. We've got to keep it going. No need.”
The Stars had momentum from the start of the game. Less than an hour before game time, the league announced that Colorado State's leading playoff scorer, Valeri Nichushkin, had been suspended for six months without pay. Top-pair defenseman Devon Toews did not show up for warmups and was ruled out due to illness.
The Stars took advantage of both absences.
Dallas outscored Colorado 16-2 in the first period, perhaps the best period of the playoffs. On the eve of his 21st birthday, Dallas' depth took over after Wyatt Johnston scored two goals in the first half of the game to give the Stars a 2-0 lead. Heiskanen, fourth-line forward Dadonov and Steele added two more points.
“Everyone in the dressing room knows how to play the right way, and the right way has led to success for us throughout the playoffs,” Stars forward Jason Robertson said. “It's all about the little things: going above and beyond, anticipating good spots, good routes. And I think that's contagious to our bench. One guy sees that, another guy sees it. When you look at it, you just keep rolling and rolling. If you do everything the right way, good things will happen.”
During the trip to Denver, the Stars' defense was solid. The team blocked 27 shots against Colorado on Monday, allowing the fewest shots on goal at home all year, but has held the Avalanche to 0-for-8 on the power play over the last three games. They scored two shorthanded goals during this time.
Dallas put Colorado in a choke hold, completely shutting down their top playmaker. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen were again taken off the scoresheet. The Avalanche still do not have a regulation lead in this series.
Despite their dominance, the Stars were trailing 0-2 against the Golden Knights just two and a half weeks ago, a feeling of despair they felt before going on the road with their season on the line.
As cliché as it may sound, they've been taking it one game at a time this postseason, and it's worked out well. Despite being excited about the opportunity to send their rivals into the summer in front of an exhilarating home crowd, this Colorado team that won three regular seasons and came from behind twice in this series is not going to lose easily. They know too.
But there's no question the Stars have found their best hockey at the most important time of the year. If they can keep it up for one more night, it will be a few worthwhile nights at home, and Steele's empty-netter will surely be a lasting memory for the Ball Arena crowd this season.
“We did our job and played good hockey all around,” Pavelski said. “There's still a big job left to do. They're a really good group over there and they can rush things. There's a lot of responsibility and there's still a big job left to do.”
Check out more Star coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
