Tyler Seguin scored two goals, and Thomas Harley assisted on all three of Dallas’ power-play goals in the second period, as the Western Conference-leading Stars defeated the Colorado Avalanche 7-4 on Sunday night.
Dallas now has 107 points, which is five ahead of both Colorado and Pacific Division-leading Vancouver for the top spot in the West. The Stars have four games left to play.
“It’s completely in our hands, which is nice,” said Matt Duchene, who scored a goal against his former team. “If we take care of business, we’ll end up being where we want to be.”
Jamie Benn, Roope Hintz, Mason Marchment, and Wyatt Johnston also found the back of the net for the Stars, who wrapped up the season series 1-2-1 against the Avalanche. Jake Oettinger made 34 saves.
Despite playing the day before in Chicago and facing travel delays due to windy conditions, Dallas showed no signs of fatigue.
“I think both teams have had this game circled for a little bit,” Seguin remarked on the game’s importance. “We’re at that time of the year when you’re just kind of watching the standings and know the importance of tonight’s game. So, pretty good hockey game.”
Leading 5-2 in the second period, the Stars weathered a Colorado rally and sealed the victory with Johnston’s goal and Seguin’s empty-netter in the final seconds.
Sean Walker, Artturi Lehkonen, and Brandon Duhaime scored for Colorado, who played without Mikko Rantanen due to concussion protocol. Alexandar Georgiev allowed six goals on 36 shots.
The Avalanche are struggling down the stretch, going 2-4-1 over their last seven games. Despite this, they remain in second place in the Central Division with 102 points, aiming to secure home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
“The defending breakdowns we had, we did some dumb stuff today,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar commented on his team’s performance.
Benn’s penalties in the second period led to Dallas’ power-play goals, with Hintz and Seguin capitalizing on the man advantage after Benn was high-sticked by Walker and later slashed by Cale Makar.
