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As midterm exams go, this was a bit of a learning experience.

In losing a 6-3 game to Colorado at Ball Arena on Saturday afternoon, the Dallas Stars showed off a number of flaws. They got on their heels early, handed out too many power plays, and made mistakes in their own end. As a result, goalie Casey DeSmith was under great duress and the game was mostly out of hand by the mid-way point.

“It was a tough one,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “I thought we survived the first period and then it felt like we had a couple of breakdowns that ended up in our net and took a couple of penalties 200 feet from our goal, which you can’t do against that team. They made us pay for any of the mistakes we made.”

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      Pete DeBoer speaks to the media after the game in Colorado

      Colorado was buzzing the entire game. Dallas took advantage of a power play three minutes into the game and Matt Duchene wired a shot over former Stars goalie Scott Wedgewood for a 1-0 lead. But the Avalanche then had the shots on goal at 13-1 and were able to tie things up by the first intermission.

      Dallas then put Colorado on the power play and DeSmith couldn’t save them anymore. Cale Makar, Jonathan Drouin and Artturi Lehkonen (twice) made it 5-1 before the Stars could blink. Jason Robertson scored twice on Wedgewood to make it interesting late in the third, but then Makar got his second of the game for the final 6-3 score.

      It was a hard night.

      “We’ve played them enough times to know they’re going to come out hard, especially in this building,” said Wyatt Johnston, who stepped in at center for the injured Roope Hintz and won 20 of 24 faceoffs. “It’s on us to match that intensity and match that push and ultimately get our game going a lot quicker.”

      Robertson said he felt bad for DeSmith, who allowed six goals on 36 shots.

      “We really hung Case out today, that’s unacceptable,” Robertson said. “It could have been 10 goals. We need to be better for him.”

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          Jason Robertson speaks to the media after the game in Colorado

          Dallas moves to 28-16-1 (57 points), while Colorado is now 28-18-1 (57 points). The two are in a four-team battle at the top of the Central Division, and every point matters. The top team at the end of the season gets home ice and a wildcard opponent. The second place team gets home ice against the third place team.

          That’s a lot to digest at Game 45, but it is real.

          “Looking at the standings, points are so important and it’s already tight,” said Johnston. “We know how important these points are come the end of the season.”

          Even with the loss, Dallas is 11-4-1 in the division, so it understands the task. After all, it defeated Colorado in six games in the Second Round last season.

          “It’s always a lesson,” DeBoer said. “We beat them in the playoffs last year, we’ve played them a lot over the past two years. Any time you play them you want to give your best game. I’m not sure we learned anything tonight… we know how dangerous they are and they burned us.”

          That said, there will be a rematch on March 16, and the Stars can definitely start picking up points outside of the division to help in the battle. Dallas will play host to Detroit on Sunday, Carolina on Tuesday, and Vegas on Friday.

          “No rest,” said DeBoer. “This might be the toughest week of the season for us. We’re in the gauntlet of it right now.”

          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 X @MikeHeika.

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