DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche will look to even the Western Conference First Round in Game 4 against the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena on Saturday (9:30 p.m. ET; Victory+, MAX, truTV, TBS, ALT, SNP, SNW, SN1, TVAS).
After a 5-1 win in Game 1, Colorado lost twice in overtime -- 4-3 in Game 2 and 2-1 in Game 3.
In each of the past two games, the Avalanche led in the third period, and after the Stars tied it, Colorado had a power play late in regulation that carried into overtime.
In Game 3, it was a four-minute man-advantage. At 3:21 of OT, one second after the power play expired, Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen had a shot attempt at an open net that was blocked by Stars defenseman Esa Lindell. Dallas forward Tyler Seguin scored the winner 2:10 later.
“Close games,” Lehkonen said. “We had chances in both games to win the game, but we can’t dwell on that. We’ve just got to learn from those and next time put them in.”
Teams that have taken a 3-1 lead in a best-of-7 series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have won the series 90.8 percent of the time (316-32). The Avalanche are 11-5 in Game 4 when trailing 2-1 in a best-of-7 series and have come back to win the series six times.
Here is a breakdown of Game 4:
Stars: Goalie Jake Oettinger is 4-0 with an 0.87 goals-against average and a .964 save percentage at Colorado in the playoffs in his NHL career. Defenseman Thomas Harley leads Dallas with three points (one goal, two assists) and 31:05 of average ice time in this series. The Stars want to be more disciplined, especially in key situations, but they are 11-for-13 on the penalty kill against an elite power play. Lindell leads the NHL in short-handed ice time in the playoffs by a large margin; he has played 16:12. The next closest is Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg (12:35).
Avalanche: Captain Gabriel Landeskog has been promoted to the first power play and the second line, after playing on the second power play and the third line in Game 3 in his return from a knee injury that kept him out almost three years. Defenseman Cale Makar has two assists in the series; he has 82 points (21 goals, 61 assists) in 75 playoff games in his NHL career. Only four defensemen have had as many through 75 games: Bobby Orr, who had 92 points (26 goals, 66 assists); Paul Coffey, who had 90 (33 goals, 57 assists); Brian Leetch, who had 85 (27 goals, 58 assists) and Al MacInnis, who had 82 (20 goals, 62 assists).
Number to know: 4. That’s how many consecutive playoff games the Stars have won at Ball Arena. They went 3-0 here in their six-game victory against the Avalanche in the second round last season.
What to look for: Can the Stars play with a lead? Can the Avalanche power play get going?
