The Colorado Avalanche stunned the Dallas Stars in the opening game of their series, taking a one-game-to-none lead thanks to their 5-1 win at American Airlines Center.
However, the Stars were able to flip the script on the Avalanche and avoid falling into a 0-2 hole thanks to their 4-3 victory in overtime on Monday night, knotting the series at 1-1 apiece.
Depth forward Colin Blackwell, playing in his first season with the Stars, played the role of hero with the overtime game-winning goal.
Avalanche Fans Were Left Fuming After Their OT Loss
Following the exuberance of their Game 1 victory, Avalanche fans were a little less than thrilled following their Game 2 loss.
One Avalanche fan blasted Miles Wood by shouting, “Earth to Miles Wood…HELLO ANYONE THERE?” Another fan had this to say: “Not a fan of leaving the puck dead infront of the goalie for a clear shot but oh well.”
Samuel Girard was the target of another frustrated Colorado fan, who said, “Girard is a defensive liability… good Grief!” Miles Wood was once again targeted by another angry fan, who said, “Both goals one in 3rd and OT goal give away by miles wood. Honestly not sure why he wasn’t scratched.”
This Avs fan called out the entire team by saying, “Pathetic. Zero urgency and and too many passengers. Where were 13, 88, 27, 11, 62? 2 points amongst all the ‘depth’.”
What will the reaction be from Avalanche fans following Game 3 later this week in Denver?
Avalanche Goalie MacKenzie Blackwood Praised His Teammates Despite the Loss
The hero of Game 1 for the Avalanche with his first-career playoff victory, goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood, was victimized four times in Game 2; the deciding goal was scored by Dallas forward Colin Blackwell, who picked up his own rebound and fired a shot over the shoulder of Blackwood to seal the victory.
However, Blackwood had nothing but good things to say about how his teammates performed despite the disappointing loss.
“You want to win every time you play, but I thought we did a pretty good job tonight,” Blackwood said. “It could have went either way. If you said before we came out here that we’d get a 1-1 split and had a chance to take Game 2 in overtime, I think we would have been happy with that.”
One thing is for certain for Colorado – they’re getting the goaltending that they’ve not enjoyed in the postseason since Darcy Kuemper helped lead them to the Stanley Cup in 2022.
The Avalanche and Stars will play Game 3 of their series from Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday evening.