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 One slap shot ended eight games of frustration for the Stars.
Defenseman John Klingberg scores 35 seconds into overtime and Dallas
beat Colorado 4-3 on Thursday to end an eight-game losing streak to
the Avalanche.
Center Jason Spezza, right winger Ales Hemsky and defenseman Jason
Demers had goals for the Stars. Goaltender Antti Niemi had 21 saves
for Dallas, including a stop on center Nathan MacKinnon's penalty
shot in the third period that kept it close and allowed the Stars to
rally.
"We played pretty good special teams, better than we did in Dallas,"
Hemsky said. "It's a big win for us."
The Stars also suffered a loss when Spezza left the game in the
second period with an upper-body injury. Coach Lindy Ruff said he
will miss some time.
"It's more than a few days," he said.
The Stars' last win in Colorado came exactly three years ago from
Thursday. Their last win overall was Dec. 17, 2013, in Dallas.
Thursday's game was similar to the one the teams played in Dallas on
Jan. 23. The Stars outshot Colorado 43-15 that night but the
Avalanche scored two short-handed goals and goalie Semyon Varlamov's
42-save night allowed them to steal a 3-1 win.
It looked like it was going to be another frustrating game before
Demers tied it midway through the third and Klingberg won it in
overtime.
"It's been almost the same song every time we play," Ruff said.
"Last game same way, but this game we pushed through."
Klingberg got the game winner when he skated into the Colorado end
on a 3-on-1 and beat goaltender Calvin Pickard with a slap shot for
his eighth goal of the season.
"He wound up for a slap shot and it was kind of a delayed shot,"
Pickard said. "There are some passing options there so you can't be
too far out or else he can just slide it over."
Pickard finished with 40 saves for the second straight game.
Center Carl Soderberg and left winger Blake Comeau had a goal and an
assist apiece for the Avalanche. Defenseman Nick Holden also scored
for Colorado.
"We need to play better defensively, make better decisions,"
Colorado coach Patrick Roy said. "We're lucky we have a point
tonight, quite honestly."
MacKinnon was awarded a penalty shot when Klingberg hooked him on a
breakaway at 4:14 of the third. Niemi made a blocker save on
MacKinnon's attempt.
It was Colorado's first penalty shot since Jan. 18, 2011.
"It's huge," Hemsky said of Niemi's save on MacKinnon. "It would
have made it 4-2 and killed the game."
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The missed chance came back to haunt the Avalanche when Demers
scored a power-play goal at 11:20 to tie it at 3-3. It was his sixth
of the season.
The Avalanche responded quickly after the Stars' two goals in the
first two periods.
Spezza gave Dallas a 1-0 lead with his 18th goal 1:31 into the game
and Comeau responded 1:14 later when got a pass from Soderberg and
beat Niemi with a sharp-angle shot. It was Comeau's seventh.
Colorado went ahead at 5:54 of the first when Holden's shot from the
point went through a scrum in front of the net and past Niemi for
his fourth of the season.
Dallas tied it at 2-2 when Hemsky took a stretch pass from
defenseman Alex Goligoski at Colorado's blue line and beat Pickard
with a shot high at 15:35 of the second. It was his sixth of the
season.
Colorado again answered, this time on Soderberg's 11th of the season
1:25 later to make it 3-2.
The Avalanche appeared score again 26 seconds later, but defenseman
Zach Redmond's goal was waved off because of interference with
Niemi.
"We just have to finish that game up when we're up 2-1 and 3-2,"
Colorado defenseman Francois Beauchemin said. "Those are the kind of
games that you have to be able to close out."
NOTES: Avalanche G Semyon Varlamov served as Calvin Pickard's backup
because of lack of practice time for the past week. Varlamov had not
been able to practice while he was in court for a civil suit filed
against him by his ex-girlfriend. The jury found in favor of
Varlamov on Tuesday. ... Dallas C Colton Sceviour was scratched with
an upper-body injury. He played 12 shifts in Tuesday's 5-3 win over
Winnipeg. ... Avalanche LW Andreas Martinsen was back in the lineup
after being a healthy scratch against Chicago on Tuesday. C Chris
Wagner was scratched. ... Entering Thursday, the second-place Stars
trailed Chicago by three points in the Central Division. Dallas has
played three fewer games than the Blackhawks.
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