Stars Lose To Avalanche
DALLAS — Not only do the Colorado Avalanche have a recent knack for defeating the Dallas Stars, but they also are strong on the second night of a back-to-back this season.
Avalanche center and captain Gabriel Landeskog scored the game-winning goal and goaltender Semyon Varlamov stopped 42 of 43 shots in a 3-1 victory against the Stars on Saturday at American Airlines Arena, Colorado’s eighth straight victory against Dallas.
Colorado is 4-2-0 in the second game of a back-to-back.
“I thought our penalty killing was really good and we scored two shorthanded goals. That gave us a chance to win this game and (Varlamov) was phenomenal out there,” Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said.
Landeskog scored a shorthanded goal with 9:48 remaining in the second period. Center Carl Soderberg had a shorthanded goal late in the first for the Avalanche (26-21-3), who won their fourth straight.
Center Mikhail Grigorenko’s goal with 5:51 remaining iced the victory.
Dallas (30-14-5), which hasn’t won consecutive games since
mid-December, got its lone goal from defenseman Jason Demers in the second period.
Colorado took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission after Soderberg scored with 53 seconds remaining in the first period.
After Stars center Jason Spezza couldn’t control the puck near the Dallas blue line, Soderberg evaded Stars left winger and captain Jamie Benn along the boards before beating Stars goaltender Antti Niemi top shelf to the far post with a wrist shot from the slot.
Dallas was 38 seconds into a power play after a hooking call on Avalanche defenseman Nick Holden with 1:30 remaining in the first.
Earlier in the period, Grigorenko nearly put the visitors ahead, but his wrist shot from the edge of the left circle at 12:52 hit the crossbar.
Varlamov stoned Dallas center Tyler Seguin at close range with 2:36 remaining in the first.
Colorado right winger Jack Skille suffered a back injury late in the first and did not return.
Dallas leveled things 7:24 into the second when Demers scored a power-play goal off a rebound. Varlamov denied the initial shot by right winger Ales Hemsky from the left point and also turned away an attempt by left winger Antoine Roussel off the rebound, but Demers alertly knocked the puck in for his fifth of the season.
The Avalanche regained their lead at 10:12 of the second when Landeskog scored. The play started when Stars defenseman John Klingberg couldn’t control a carom along the boards near the Dallas blue line.
Landeskog collected the puck, rushed up the right side and scored his 11th of the season with a wrist shot from the slot over Niemi’s blocker. Dallas was on the power play because Soderberg earned a double-minor for high sticking Demers after his goal.
“Well, I just managed to poke it by Klingberg there at the blue line and realized I was on my own. I kind of had my mind made up already what I was doing coming in on him (Niemi),” Landeskog said.
The Avalanche blocked 32 shots, increasing their NHL-leading total to 846.
“I think every team in the league wants to block shots now,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. “We had our chance to execute. We had guys in alone and we had the 2-on-1 (Seguin and Sharp), and we had the right guys with the puck in those situations. Nobody blocked those except for the goaltender. Those are just skill plays and we need our guys to make them.”
Grigorenko scored his third of the season by collecting his own rebound after a backhand attempt hit the near post and sending the carom into the top of the Dallas net.
Niemi stopped 12 of 15 shots for Dallas before heading to the bench with 2:53 remaining.
