Necas' Two Goals, Blackwood's 24 Saves Lift Avalanche Past Stars 3-2

The Colorado Avalanche secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of their series, with Martin Necas delivering two crucial goals and Mackenzie Blackwood making 24 saves behind a shaky defense. The win came despite a late push from Dallas, who saw Tyler Seguin lead their offense with a two-point performance, though Jake Oettinger’s 22 saves ultimately fell short.

The Avalanche’s offense got off to an early start when Artturi Lehkonen scored his fourth goal in six games, capitalizing on a deflected shot by Josh Manson. Meanwhile, Nathan MacKinnon added two assists and engaged in a heated second-period fight with Roope Hintz, though he later left the game to treat an open cut on his hand.

The Stars’ momentum stalled after a series of penalties, including a 10-minute misconduct for Fedor Svechkov, which handed Colorado a late power-play opportunity they converted into the decisive lead. The teams will reconvene Wednesday night at Ball Arena for Game 2, with the Avalanche’s star defenseman Cale Makar notably absent after his wife went into labor, leaving the team without their top defensive anchor.