Stars avoid another collapse to even series
DALLAS — The Dallas Stars built another multigoal lead against high-scoring Colorado. This time, they held on to win and avoid another 0-2 hole in the NHL playoffs.
“Found a way to win the game, and that’s the most important thing,” Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen said.
Heiskanen scored two power-play goals, Roope Hintz had a goal and three assists and the Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 in Game 2 on Thursday night to even the secondround Western Conference series.
Tyler Seguin got his first goal this postseason on a short-hander at the end of a 3-on-1 breakaway for the Stars that put them up 4-0 late in the second period. Esa Lindell added an empty-netter with 20 seconds left, with Hintz getting his final assist.
Jake Oettinger had 28 saves against a Colorado team that led the NHL in scoring during the regular season and had averaged an NHL-high 5.33 goals in its first six games this postseason.
Joel Kiviranta, Brandon Duhaime and Valeri Nichushkin scored in the third period for the Avalanche, but they failed to score on a power play in the final three minutes that was partly a 6-on-4 after goalie Alexander Georgiev skated to the bench.
“Obviously, I think we can handle those situations better. But I think that the silver lining is that we built 3-0 and 4-0 leads, so we’ve played some very good hockey for long stretches against them,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “I thought tonight was better than Game 1. We did most of the things that we wanted to do tonight. Building that lead, the right guys scored, got on the board for us.”
Colorado had also trailed 3-0 in the first period of Game 1 two nights earlier before coming back to win 4-3 in overtime, and extend its postseason winning streak to five games. That was the third time this season the Avs had come back from a multigoal deficit to win in Dallas.
They came up short this time in a game when hurt by some self-induced penalties and going 0 for 3 on power plays. Of their six penalties, two were for delay of game wo for delay of game after knocking pucks into the stands, and two more for having too many men on the ice.
“The second period for me is when it fell part. Just not sharp,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Then we turn around in the third and go to work, and that’s what happens.”
RANGERS 3 HURRICANES 2 (OT)
Artemi Panarin redirected a pass between his legs at the crease to beat Pyotr Kotchetkov just 1:43 into overtime and New York beat host Carolina to take a 3-0 lead in the second-round playoff series.
Panarin scored after Carolina defenseman Dmitry Orlov lost control of a puck in the corner in the defensive zone. Vincent Trocheck collected it on the right side and sent it toward the crease to Panarin, who tipped the puck behind him as defenseman Jalen Chatfield tried to push him away from the crease.
The puck slipped under the right elbow and past the ribs of Kotchetkov, sending Panarin into celebration and the Rangers soon joining him near the door toward the tunnel off the ice.
The Rangers, who are 7-0 in the postseason after sweeping Washington in Round 1, can complete the sweep in Game 4 on Saturday night in Raleigh, N.C.
Chris Kreider and Alexis LaFreniere also scored goals for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin made 45 saves.
Jake Guentzel had a firstperiod goal for Carolina, while Andrei Svechnikov tied it with 1:36 left to force the overtime and send a jolt through the home crowd.
Carolina gave the nod to Kotchetkov in net after Frederik Andersen had played all seven playoff games so far, allowing eight goals on 62 shots in the first two games against the Rangers.