Game 1 between the rival Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche is officially in the books, and it was the visiting Avalanche who made a statement by taking the series by the horns early.
Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon scored twice and added an assist, while goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made 23 saves in his first Stanley Cup playoff game, helping defeat the Stars 5-1 at American Airlines Center to grab a 1-0 series lead.
3 Stars Players Who Missed the Mark in Game 1 Loss to Avalanche
Neither team found the back of the net in the opening 20 minutes, but the Avalanche quickly changed that in the second period thanks to a pair of quick strikes from Artturi Lehkonen and the first of two goals from MacKinnon to take a 2-0 lead.
Entering the third period with a comfortable two-goal edge, the Avalanche kept the Stars at bay until Dallas forward Roope Hintz broke Blackwood’s shutout with a power-play goal. But that was as close as the Stars would get.
Colorado responded with three more goals in the period — from Devon Toews, MacKinnon’s second (an empty-netter with goaltender Jake Oettinger pulled for an extra attacker), and the recently acquired Charlie Coyle. Blackwood stood tall in his playoff debut, making several big saves and frustrating the Stars’ offense.
Three players, in particular, for Dallas, stood out in the Stars’ lopsided loss to open the series.
Jake Oettinger
The Stars’ goaltender has picked a tough time to fall into a slump. He came into Game 1 against the Avalanche without a win since April 3 and had lost his last four regular-season starts before the playoffs. Oettinger wasn’t at his best, allowing four goals on 23 shots and finishing with a .826 save percentage.
While it’s true that two of the goals were fluky, he still didn’t come up with the stops his team needed. With three losses now separating Dallas from elimination, Oettinger has to step up in Game 2.
Lian Bichsel
Stars’ rookie defenseman Lian Bichsel looked like a player experiencing his first taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He was often out of position against Colorado’s high-powered offense, finishing tied for a team-worst minus-two among Dallas defensemen and recording no points. He also had a giveaway.
It’ll be a good learning moment for Bichsel moving forward, but he can’t dwell on it going into Game 2.
Jamie Benn
Dallas’ captain, Jamie Benn, is under growing pressure to lead his team back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2020, but the team needed more offensive grit from him in Game 1. Benn had only one shot on goal — a great look in the slot during the first period that was somehow stopped by Blackwood. It ended up being a missed chance that should have gone in.
He also finished with a minus-one rating in just under 13 minutes of ice time.