First Shift: Fresh off Game 7 win, Stars kick off Second Round against Avalanche

It’s tough to ignore the numbers that the Colorado Avalanche have produced this season.

Colorado led the NHL in scoring during the regular season at 3.68 goals per game, and then blew that away in the First Round of the playoffs, averaging 5.60 goals per game in a 4-1 series victory over Winnipeg (who happened to be the best defensive team in the league). So while the Stars just came out of one of the lowest scoring series in the first round (with each team averaging 2.29 goals per game), there is the challenge of having to make some adjustments.

That said, Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said his team will be more worried about how it plays.

“My initial reaction is watching what they did to Winnipeg, I don’t think we want to get into a track meet,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “At the same time, we’re not going to sit and try to defend the whole series. We’ve got other layers to our game, and we want to put some pressure on their group.”

Colorado scored often off the rush against the Jets and also manufactured five goals via “tips.” They had the most tipped shots in the first round at 16, despite playing just five games. Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar each had 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) to lead Colorado in the First Round and former Stars forward Valeri Nichushkin is tied for the NHL lead in goals with 7.

“They can beat you in a bunch of different ways,” DeBoer said. “They scored a bunch of tip goals, but you’re always dealing with their rush. I don’t think it’s as simple as shutting down one part of their game. I think you have to be aware that this is more than a one-headed snake we’re dealing with.”

Dallas finished third in the regular season in scoring at 3.59 goals per game and was eighth in goals against at 2.86, so it creates its own issues for the Avalanche.

“There’s no one going into it going, ‘Well, let’s just run-and-gun this thing.’ You’ve got to be able to defend,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “I expect them to push the score and push to keep it out of their net. We’re going to do the exact same thing.”

Dallas has a few players who struggled to score against Vegas, including Joe Pavelski (0 points, 6 shots on goal), Roope Hintz (1 empty net goal, 10 shots on goal) and Matt Duchene (2 points, 10 shots on goal). So, maybe a more free flowing series could actually help start up some of the stagnant sticks. But there has to be a balance. The Stars needed that to beat Vegas, so they understand just how hard this is going to be.

“It ain’t getting any easier,” Stars captain Jamie Benn said. “We’ve got a great team in Colorado coming here. We’re going to have to be even better than we were in this series. I think they obviously showed in the First Round they’re not scared to score goals. They’ve got great players. They know how to win.”

The Stars are hoping they will get some energy from just having won Game 7 at home on Sunday night, and that maybe Colorado is rusty after not playing for a week. But it could just as easily turn out to be an advantage for the Avalanche and a burden for Dallas.

“There’s always a hope that you get a little bit stale practicing,” DeBoer said. “I think we’ve been in that spot before, and I’m hoping we can carry over a Game 7 mentality and roll it right into Game 1. You never know as a coach how quick out of the gate they’re going to be with that time off and if we’re going to be able to roll that mentality into Game 1, but that’s the hope.”

And, as the Stars know, Game 1 doesn’t decide the series. Dallas lost its first two games at home against Vegas and rallied to win. In fact, the Stars haven’t won a Game 1 since the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. That’s something that could be of use going forward.

“We just want to win, whatever that takes,” DeBoer said. “I think we’re going to have to work ourselves into the series to see how we’re going to have to win.”

Key Numbers

51.5 percent
Dallas ranks fourth in the playoffs in faceoff winning percentage at 51.5 percent. It was second in the league during the regular season at 54.0 percent. Colorado ranks 15th in the playoffs at 44.4 percent and was 23rd during the regular season at 42.9 percent.

6
Tyler Seguin had six goals in three regular-season games against Colorado this season. Linemate Matt Duchene had 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in four games.

27
Stars defenseman Chris Tanev is tied for first in the playoffs in blocked shots at 27. He is tied for second in plus-minus at plus-6.

He Said It

“I don’t think you go through a seven-game series against a team like that without it taking some toll on you. I think when you pay the bill for that toll, you never know when that’s going to be. Is that a round from now? Is that two rounds from now? Is that in the summertime? Let’s hope we can push that off.”

- Stars coach Pete DeBoer on the impact of going seven games to beat the Vegas Golden Knights

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.