The Dallas Stars let a pivotal opportunity slip away on Saturday night, losing to the Colorado Avalanche 4-0, and head back to Texas with the series tied 2-2. If Game 1’s final score of 5-1 wasn’t a proper indication of a close, well-fought hockey game, Game 4 was the opposite, and exactly the score that this game deserved. The Avalanche came out on a mission and dominated the majority of the game.
Related: Landeskog Sparks Avalanche to 4-0 Victory Over Stars in Game 4
There are certain nights in sports where you can tell very early whose night it is and how the game is going to play out. That was Saturday in a nutshell. Here are three takeaways from the night that was in Denver.
Jake Oettinger Not the Problem in Game 4
After 20 minutes, the Avalanche led the Stars 12-11 in the shot department and 2-0 on the scoreboard. After 40 minutes, the lead in shots ballooned to 34-16 after a 22-shot second period for Colorado, and the score was 3-0. Jake Oettinger was phenomenal on Saturday night and did not get the performance he needed from the rest of his team.
Oettinger was pulled for Casey DeSmith after the second period, which had a lot of people scratching their heads as to why. Head coach Peter DeBoer confirmed after that it was for rest, and after some reflection, it was the right move. Some nights, you know you just don’t have it, and that was the case for the Stars. The second period was insanely busy for Oettinger, and in a series that will most likely go the distance and being down 3-0, it makes sense to give the big guy a rest and get ready for Game 5.
From Game 2 through Game 4, Oettinger has a .933 save percentage and a 2.30 goals-against average, allowing seven goals on 99 shots. In Game 4, there was a goal or two that he might want back, but overall, his team did nothing to bail him out on Saturday. He gave his guys all that he had.
There’s no controversy here. Oettinger will be ready to go for Game 5.
Special Teams Demoralizing in Game 4
In the previous two games, special teams were the recipe for success for the Stars. In Game 4, it sunk them in a big way. The Stars had an early power play at 6:31 of the first period, and another power play at 11:53, with a 4-on-4 in the middle. They had three shots across those two power plays and no goals to show for it. For the most part, the game was pretty back and forth for the first half of the period, until the Avalanche scored a shorthanded goal at 12:39, and it felt like the whole game shifted.
Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates after scoring a goal in the second period of Game Four of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars (Photo by Ashley Potts/NHLI via Getty Images)
At 17:41, the Stars gave the Avalanche their only power play of the night, and Nathan MacKinnon took advantage of it in the dying seconds to give the Avalanche a 2-0 lead. In the first period, the Avalanche had a shorthanded goal and a power-play goal, and that was essentially the game.
The Stars had four opportunities on the power play themselves, but could not capitalize whatsoever, generating only five shots with the man advantage. Before Saturday night, the Stars did a terrific job taking advantage of their power-play opportunities and limiting the Avalanche on theirs. Failing at both in the first period set the night up for the inevitable result.
Not Having the Lead Finally Bit the Stars
Heading into Game 4, the Stars were up 2-1 in the series, yet had only led for 1:02 of the entire series. Two overtime goals made that mind-warping stat possible. The Stars can win this series, absolutely. However, they need to find a way to get the lead and play with it. Yes, that is incredibly obvious, I know. But heading into Game 5 and still having the lead for barely a minute in the series is getting a little bit ridiculous.
They deserve all the credit in the world for leading 2-1 despite not having Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen, and not being able to put a lot of pucks behind Mackenzie Blackwood. However, that credit is running out, and in a hurry. In Games 1 and 4, the Avalanche had nine goals combined, while the Stars have seven in the entire series.
As stated earlier, the Avalanche were on a mission last night, but that’s not a reason to generate zero offense for 60 minutes. You can’t just wave your hands in the air and say, “Well, they were really good, so that’s how it goes.” No. That’s not how this works. In the playoffs, the game comes in waves. You survive a wave, and then create a wave of your own. You don’t just let one big wave kick your butt for an entire game.
Stars Have Home Ice in the Final Stretch of Round 1
If you said that heading into Game 5, the Stars and Avalanche would be tied 2-2, I think everyone would have nodded their heads and thought that made sense. Especially with the Stars being down two of their best players. This was always a series that felt like it was going to go the distance, so 2-2 is a reasonable place for this series to be. However, with the way Game 4 unfolded, it felt like the Avalanche unlocked something that will be hard for the Stars to slow down.
However, this is why you fight for home ice. The Stars play Games 5 and 7 at American Airlines Center in front of the hometown faithful. Win Game 5, and you’re in the driver’s seat for the rest of the series.
