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Martin Necas scored two goals and Mackenzie Blackwood made 24 saves as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in the opener of a home-and-home series.
The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Tuesday night in Dallas, marking the first meeting of the two teams in the 2026-27 NHL season. Martin Necas scored two goals, including one on a 5-on-3 power play, to lead the short-handed Avalanche to victory.
Artturi Lehkonen opened the scoring for Colorado at 11:32 of the first period. The Stars tied the game late in the first period when Tyler Seguin’s centering attempt deflected off an Avalanche skate into the net. According to ESPN, this was Dallas’ first home power-play goal in eight tries.
In the second period, Necas gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead at 3:05 with a one-timer assisted by Nathan MacKinnon. Later in the frame, Colorado earned a 5-on-3 advantage after Sam Malinski was cross-checked and MacKinnon was tripped. Necas scored his second goal of the game with four seconds left in the 29-second, two-man advantage, making it 3-1 at 16:14.
The Stars narrowed the gap to 3-2 at 3:17 of the third period when Roope Hintz scored, assisted by Seguin and Miro Heiskanen. The Avalanche held on for the win, with Mackenzie Blackwood making 24 saves. Blackwood had allowed five goals in the previous game against Toronto on Saturday.
The game featured significant physical play and fighting. Fedor Svechkov received a two-minute instigator penalty, five minutes for fighting, and 10 minutes for misconduct after challenging Radek Faksa. This left Colorado playing with 10 forwards for nearly 17 minutes.
Nathan MacKinnon fought Roope Hintz in the second period. According to ESPN, this was Hintz’s first NHL fight. MacKinnon was off the bench for more than seven minutes for facial repairs but returned to play. MacKinnon finished the game with two assists, bringing his season total to 12 points.
Colorado played without defenseman Cale Makar, who did not travel with the team because his wife was expecting twins. Forward Zachary L’Heureux was a late scratch due to an upper-body injury, forcing the Avalanche to start with 11 forwards and six defensemen.
Entering the game, Colorado led the NHL with 5.2 goals per game, while Dallas had a league-best 1.38 goals-against average. The Stars played with 11 forwards and seven defensemen after forward Wyatt Johnston sat out with an illness. Johnston had played in all 395 regular season and playoff games since joining the team in 2022.
The teams will meet again on Wednesday in Denver. The Stars swept two meetings against the Avalanche in shootouts last season.
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This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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