Avalanche vs Stars: Colorado leads 3-1 after two periods in Dallas
Key takeaways
- Colorado led Dallas 3-1 after two periods on October 13. Martin Necas scored twice for the Avs.
- The final score was still being confirmed at publish time. This story covers what we know so far.
- The teams meet again on October 14 in Colorado. That game starts at 8:30 Central Time on TNT.
Colorado led Dallas 3-1 after two periods on October 13, 2026. The game took place at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The final score was still being confirmed when this story was published.
The first period ended tied at 1-1. Colorado then scored twice in the second period. Dallas did not score in the second period. That gave the Avs a 3-1 lead at the break.
Martin Necas scored twice for Colorado His second goal came in the second period Nathan MacKinnon and Roope Hintz also dropped the gloves.
It was MacKinnon's second fight of the season.
What happened
The night was part of Frozen Frenzy All 32 NHL teams played in 16 games The puck dropped at 6:30 Mountain Time.
Fans could watch on ESPN and ESPN+.
Colorado came in at 3-2-0. Dallas came in at 2-2-1. Both teams play in the Central Division. They are long-time rivals.
The Avs had just lost badly at home Toronto beat them on Saturday Mile High Hockey called it their worst loss of the short season.
Dallas had just lost 2-1 in a shootout in Pittsburgh.
Mackenzie Blackwood started in goal for Colorado He had a rough last start He made 17 saves on 23 shots in that game.
Jake Oettinger started for Dallas He had been strong this season He had a 0.74 goals-against average in four starts.
He also had a .963 save percentage and two shutouts.
Colorado played without star defenseman Cale Makar His wife was about to give birth That left a big hole on the blue line.
Dallas also missed a key forward Matt Duchene had surgery for a core injury He is set to miss about three months.
The first period ended 1-1. The second period belonged to Colorado Necas scored his second goal of the night The Avs took a 3-1 lead into the break.
The third period was still to come when the last updates arrived.
Tempers also flared during the game MacKinnon and Hintz fought MacKinnon already had a cut nose from a stick in Winnipeg.
The fight was his second of the season It showed how heated this rivalry can get.
The night also featured the Golden Knights against the Wild Frozen Frenzy packed the schedule with games across the league Fans could flip from one game to the next.
This rivalry game was one of the main events.
Why it matters
This game was the first of four meetings this season The two teams know each other well Dallas held points in seven of its last ten games against Colorado.
Three of those games went past regulation last season.
The Central Division race is tight Colorado finished with 121 points last season Dallas finished with 112 points.
Both teams want the division crown Early games like this one set the tone.
MacKinnon has owned this matchup He came in with 53 points in 48 games against Dallas He also had a ten-game point streak against the Stars.
He had 18 points in that span.
Mikko Rantanen adds spice to the rivalry He used to play for Colorado He now plays for Dallas.
He came in with six points this season He had two goals and four assists He ranks fourth in Avs history with 287 goals.
He also ranks fifth with 681 points.
The goalie battle also told a story Oettinger had been nearly unbeatable early this season Colorado had scored 40 regular-season goals against him in his career.
That is the most he has allowed to any one team Blackwood needed a bounce-back game He got a chance to show resolve in Dallas.
Dallas had a clear problem before the game The Stars had scored one goal or fewer in each of their three losses They were shut out by St Louis in their home opener.
Their defense was strong Their scoring needed work.
The numbers before the game told the same tale Dallas had a 7.7 percent power play Colorado had a 22.2 percent power play.
Dallas killed 88.2 percent of penalties Colorado killed 85.7 percent of penalties Dallas also won 54.6 percent of faceoffs.
That ranked second in the NHL Colorado won 51.4 percent of faceoffs.
Other Stars had strong records against Colorado too Jason Robertson had eight points in his last six games against the Avs Tyler Seguin had ten points in his last seven games against them.
Seguin had 312 goals and 706 points with the Stars Both marks rank fifth in team history.
The players knew what this game meant Stars goalie Jake Oettinger spoke about the rivalry He said each meeting feels like a playoff game.
Rantanen called it a big two games He said these games matter a lot in a hard division.
Read our Senators-Devils recap for more from this NHL week. The league packed a lot of action into a few days. Each game shapes the early standings.
What happens next
The teams meet again fast The rematch is on October 14 in Colorado The game starts at 8:30 Central Time.
It will air on TNT The teams will then meet again on January 22 in Dallas They will also meet on January 24 in Colorado.
Colorado will hope Makar can return soon His status will depend on his family Dallas will keep playing without Duchene.
The Stars must find more goals.
The Kraken beat the Flyers in a shootout in another close game this week. Tight games have been the norm so far. One bounce can flip a result.
We will update this story when the final score is confirmed. The Avs led 3-1 after two periods. The third period will decide the rest.
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