DENVER – Nathan MacKinnon broke a second-period tie and Semyon Varlamov stopped 37 shots, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
Erik Johnson, John Mitchell and Matt Duchene also scored as the Avalanche won for the fifth time in six games to leapfrog Dallas in the Central Division standings.
MacKinnon’s score with 8.4 seconds left in the second was part of a three-goal period for the Avalanche. They came out fast to start the third, too, with Duchene scoring just 12 seconds into period.
Brett Ritchie, Colton Sceviour and Ales Hemsky had goals for the Stars, who have dropped five straight in Denver.
The pivotal play of the game was early in the third when Tyler Seguin, the NHL’s leading goal scorer, was stuffed on a breakaway by Varlamov. The save kept Colorado’s lead in tact as the crowd chanted “Varly, Varly.”
Varlamov improved to 6-2 with two shutouts in eight starts since returning from a groin injury. He’s stopped 127 of 132 shots over his past three games.
The Stars pulled Kari Lehtonen with around 1:20 remaining and had a great chance to tie the game, but had a shot clang off the post.
Colorado erupted for three goals in the second period to turn around a game the Stars were dominating. MacKinnon’s goal that gave Colorado the lead was upheld after a lengthy review.
The play started when Maxime Talbot intercepted a pass near the blue line and sent it over to MacKinnon. The teenager tried to push the puck past Kari Lehtonen’s left pad. The referee signaled good, the horn blew and the Avalanche celebrated.
It was reviewed for several minutes, with one replay appearing to show the puck just barely creeping over the line. The officials said the play was inconclusive and the goal stood.
Lehtonen was cruising along in the second period, making pad save after pad save, until the Avalanche finally got something by him. It started with Johnson, who backhanded a shot that trickled past Lehtonen’s left skate and into the goal.
Just 1:25 later, Mitchell sent a low liner from the blue line into traffic that got by Lehtonen to tie the game at 2.
Colorado weathered a 5-on-3 situation for 33 seconds in the second period before MacKinnon scored.
The Stars caught Colorado napping in the Avalanche’s only home afternoon game of the season, scoring 27 seconds into the game. Seguin was originally credited with the goal after he turned and lined a shot on Varlamov. But it was given to Ritchie, who redirected the puck. Ritchie has three goals since being recalled from Texas of the American Hockey League on New Year’s Eve.
Sceviour gave Dallas a 2-0 lead at 9:24 when he controlled a loose puck in front of the net and lifted it over the right shoulder of Varlamov.
