Avalanche: Nathan Mackinnon averages 1.30 points per game in the playoffs, fifth-most in NHL history among those who have played at least 74 games. He has 116 points (32 goals, 84 assists) in 79 games this season, second in the NHL behind the Lightning forward. Nikita Koucherovwho started Thursday with 121 points (37 goals, 84 assists) in 77 games. Cale Makar averaged 1.11 points per game in the playoffs, second in NHL history behind Bobby Orr (1.24) among defenders. He led NHL defensemen with 92 points (30 goals, 62 assists) in 80 games this season.
Goalkeeper
Stars: Jake Oettinger is 23-22 with a 2.46 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and two playoff shutouts in his NHL career, including a 4-2 record with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage against the Avalanche last year. This season, he ranked third in the NHL with 36 wins while posting a 2.53 GAA, .911 save percentage and two shutouts in 58 games.
Avalanche: Blackwood has never made the playoffs, but the 28-year-old has 252 games of NHL experience. After the Avalanche acquired him in a trade with the San Jose Sharks on December 9, he had 22 wins, tied with Oettinger for fourth in the NHL during that span. He also ranked eighth with a .913 save percentage; Oettinger finished seventh at .910. Among goalies who played at least 20 games during that span, he ranked fifth with a 2.33 GAA. Oettinger was 14th with 2.58.
The numbers to know
Stars: You have to go to the tough spots to score in the playoffs, right? Well, the Stars ranked third in high-danger shots with 671 during the regular season, according to NHL EDGE stats, behind the Edmonton Oilers (697) and Lightning (673).
Avalanche: Necas, whom the Avalanche acquired from the Hurricanes in the Rantanen trade, had 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 30 games for Colorado. He has 83 points (27 goals, 56 assists) in 79 total games this season, not far behind Rantanen, who has 88 points (32 goals, 56 assists) in 81 total games. Necas has 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 59 playoff games during his NHL career. Bednar said he could be an X-factor on the show.
They said it
“I think next man up, it’s that time of year. We’re not going to be the only team to start without someone or lose someone at some point. It’s the playoffs. You’ve just got to keep moving forward.” – Stars coach Peter DeBoer on Robertson’s injury
“They’re just a simple, simple hockey team, with few mistakes. They can play a little bit of a game, if you want to call it, boring. They’re good at it. They’ll get by. They’ll make sure they’re on top of the pucks, and they’ve got good goalies, too, so it’s just one of those teams that makes you score every goal. They don’t really give you goals.” — Avalanche forward Jonathan Drouin on the stars
Will win if…
Stars: Rantanen plays against his old team like he did for them, and the Stars continue to have the advantage in depth. Dallas plays well structurally to limit Colorado’s speed and skill, staying out of the penalty box to limit Colorado’s chances on the power play. It would help if Heiskanen came back during the series and looked like himself, taking on tough matchups and playing big minutes.
Avalanche: MacKinnon and Makar continue to shine, and the Avalanche’s improved depth better matches the Stars’ depth. Colorado uses its speed to overcome Dallas’ structure. Blackwood ties the goaltending game against Oettinger – or gives the Avalanche an advantage. It would help if Landeskog came back and gave his teammates an emotional boost. If he can be effective after missing three seasons, that will be an even bigger bonus.
What they look like
Projected lineup of stars
Mikael Granlund – Roope Hintz – Evgenii Dadonov
Mason Marchment – Matt Duchene – Tyler Seguin
Jamie Benn-Wyatt Johnston-Mikko Rantanen
Oskar Back — Sam Steel — Mavrik Bourque
Thomas Harley – Ilya Lyubushkin
Esa Lindell – Cody Cedi
Brendan Smith – Mathew Dumba
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
Striped: Oskar Back, Colin Blackwell
Hurt: Nils Lundkvist (shoulder), Miro Heiskanen (lower body), Jason Robertson (lower body)
Avalanche Projected Lineup
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Necas
Jonathan Drouin — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Joel Kiviranta – Charlie Coyle – Ross Colton
Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Logan O’Connor
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Josh Manson-Samuel Girard
Erik Johnson-Sam Malinski
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Striped: Keaton Middleton, Jimmy Vesey, Miles Wood
Hurt: Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Ryan Lindgren (upper body), Tucker Poolman (head)
