By Canadian Press

Makar scores 2 goals and Avalanche beat Stars 5-3 in Game 5 to stay alive in playoffs

May 15, 2024 | 8:53 PM

DALLAS (AP) — Colorado defenseman Cale Makar scored two goals, the second after Casey Mittelstadt’s go-ahead tally in the third period and the Avalanche beat top-seeded Dallas 5-3 in Game 5 on Wednesday night, snapping their three-game losing streak and extending the second-round Western Conference Series.

Mittlestadt scored just 1:12 into the third period to make it 3-2, which was the first time the Avalanche had led in the series except for when Miles Wood scored 11 minutes into overtime to win the series opener.

Maker added an unassisted goal just over three minutes later. His shot from the middle of the right circle that went through the legs of goalie Jake Oettinger and proved to be the deciding goal.

League MVP finalist Nathan MacKinnon scored with 3:10 left on a lone assist from Artturi Lehkonen, whose power-play goal in the final second of the first period came with an assist from MacKinnon.

Avalanche goalie Alexander Georgiev had 23 saves. Oettinger stopped 22 shots.

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Joe Pavelski had his first goal of these playoffs for the Stars, and had his second assist this postseason. Miro Heiskanen and rookie Logan Stankoven also scored for Dallas, and Jason Robertson had two assists.

Game 6 is Friday night in Colorado, where the Stars outscored the Avs 9-2 while winning Games 3 and 4. Dallas is 4-1 on the road this postseason.

This was the sixth time in franchise history that the Avs won Game 5 after falling behind 3-1 in a best-of-seven series. They have never come back to win the series.

After going 0 for 8 on power plays while losing the previous three games, the Avalanche scored tying goals on both of their opportunities with a man advantage in the first two periods.

Makar got his power-play goal on a 50-foot wrister through a bunch of traffic in front of the net with 3 1/2 minutes left in the second period to tie the game at 2-2.

Mittlestadt’s go-ahead goal came after Zach Parise hit the puck across the crease and Mittlestadt knocked it in, a ricochet off the right post that hit the back of Oettinger’s leg and went in.

Pavelski scored on a backhander from just outside the crease after a pass from Matt Duchene midway through the first period, after Robertson had poked the puck away from Colorado defenseman Josh Manson.

After 14 games without a goal, including the last three games of the regular season, Pavelski got his 74th career playoff goal to extend his record for the most by a U.S-born player. That is also the most by any active player.

Colorado got even at 1-1 with 0.6 seconds left in the first period on Lehknonen’s slap shot from the top of the slot.

Heiskanen scored his fourth goal in this series, and his fifth of the playoffs. He dropped the puck back to Pavelski, who passed ahead to Robertson, who made a move toward the right side of the net before a nifty crossing pass to Heiskanen on the other side of Georgiev.

Rantanen secondar assist on Makar’s first goal was his 100th career playoff point (33 goals and 67 assists). It came in his 80th career postseason game, making him only the eighth NHL player to reach that milestone in that many games or fewer. He is only the fourth player in Avalanche franchise history to reach 100 playoff points — Joe Sakic’s 188 tops that list.

It was Colorado coach Jared Bednar’s 49th playoff victory, matching Bob Hartley for the most in playoff history. Both have led the Avalanche to Stanley Cup titles, Hartley in 2001 and then Bednar their next one in 2022.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press