Colorado Avalanche drop OT heartbreaker, series tied 1-1

The Colorado Avalanche lost a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching overtime game against the Dallas Stars on Monday night at the American Airlines Center.

Colin Blackwell ended the game at the 17:46 mark of the extra frame to lift Dallas to a 4-3 win. The series is now tied at one win apiece as the scene now shifts to Colorado for Game 3 on Wednesday night.

The Avs held a 3-2 lead entering the third period as Logan O’Connor scored with less than a minute to go in the middle frame. However, Evgenii Dadonov found the back of the net midway through the third, sending the game to overtime.

In overtime, the game’s pace picked up significantly, with both teams trading scoring chances back and forth. In the end, however, it was Blackwell who buried a rebound past MacKenzie Blackwood to give the Stars life in the series.

Here’s a look at the game-winner:

The game could have gone either way, but it was the Stars who took home the gritty win.

Nathan MacKinnon scored his third of the postseason, a power play goal in the first period. Here’s a look:

The Stars would reply with a power play goal of their own, courtesy of Tyler Seguin. The Stars struck again in the second to make the game 2-1 at the 3:40 mark. But then, the Avalanche roared back with Jack Drury’s first of the postseason.

Check it out:

Drury’s marker made it 2-2. Minutes later, O’Connor scored to give the Avs the lead.

Here it is:

Unfortunately for the Avalanche, they could not hold the lead. The Stars came back and split the first two games in Dallas.

Blackwood terrific once again for Colorado Avalanche

MacKenzie Blackwood was terrific once again for the Colorado Avalanche. The questions surrounding his lack of playoff experience are nothing more than a distant memory now. Blackwood played a key role in keeping the game as close as it was.

Blackwood made 35 saves on the night, proving he’s capable of carrying the load as a playoff starter. Now, it’s worth pointing out that none of the goals were on Blackwood necessarily. The Stars deserve credit for playing a tough game and showing their skills.

In the end, it was a fourth-line winger who had the moment of his career, scoring a huge overtime winner.

That’s the beauty of playoff hockey. Anyone can be a hero on any given night. In Game 2, it was Colin Blackwell. Who knows who will step up for Game 3? In the meantime, the Avalanche have nothing to be ashamed of. They played one heck of a game against one of the best teams in the league.