Tyler Myers and Michael Bunting didn’t arrive in Dallas in time to play on March 6 against the Colorado Avalanche, but they were at American Airlines Center that night.

They witnessed one of the best NHL games of the season, a 5-4 comeback win for the Avs. It was quite the introduction to what is currently one of the league’s best rivalries.

“It looked like two teams that have history,” Myers said. “Yeah, you could tell. It looked a lot like a playoff game. I expect the same (Wednesday) night, and I’m excited to jump into it.”

Myers and Bunting will be in the lineup Wednesday night when the Stars come to Ball Arena for another showdown between the two best teams in the NHL. Both clashes this season have followed a similar script — Colorado playing catch-up in the second half of the game, then a shootout to decide things.

Dallas won here in October. Colorado went to the DFW and prevailed a little less than two weeks ago.

Avalanche forward Nicolas Roy did arrive at AAC in time to play for his new team. His first game in a Colorado sweater was against Dallas. It was like hopping on a bullet train.

“It was a lot,” Roy said. “Trying to catch up on a new system. I got there in the morning that day. Didn’t sleep much. It was a really fast-paced playoff-type game. It was fun to be part of.”

Colorado-Dallas is not the fiercest rivalry in the NHL right now. The Avs and Stars haven’t had games devolve into all-out brawls like Tampa Bay and Florida have.

It doesn’t have the natural geographical ties of some of the league’s best rivalries. But there is some old history from when the two clubs were competing with Detroit for NHL supremacy at the turn of the century.

And most importantly, the recent history is more than enough to heighten the stakes. Dallas has knocked Colorado out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs three times this decade — in the COVID-19 bubble tournament of 2020, then again in each of the past two years.

The epic seven-game series a year ago ended with Mikko Rantanen scoring a third-period hat trick against his former club, an ending that movie writers might struggle to script. An encore could be coming soon, as well.

“I saw it from afar and got a little taste last year with the playoffs,” Avs center Brock Nelson said. “It’s right up there with the best rivalries, for sure. Just given the success that both teams have had over the last few years and the expectations on both teams, I think it makes it even more exciting, more electric too. As an athlete and a competitor, these are the games you want to be part of.”

The level of vitriol between the two fan bases, particularly online, is absolutely on par with some of the league’s best rivalries. Dallas fans have three recent playoff triumphs to boast about. Colorado fans have the 2022 Stanley Cup run.

These have been the two best teams in the NHL for the vast majority of this season. While the Avs were bulldozing their way to a historic 31-2-7 start, the only teams within 15 points of Colorado were Minnesota and Dallas.

When the Avs faltered before the Olympic break, the Stars reeled them back in. Dallas is 14-1-1 since Jan. 23, and the Stars came to Denver just three points shy of the league leaders.

“I think it’s more like, we are both aiming for the same end goal here, and we’ve got to go through one another to get there,” Bunting said. “These are playoff-feel games. They’re going to be high intensity, highly competitive and really fast. I’m looking forward to it.

“These are easy games to wake up for. I’m sure over there, they all woke up pretty easy this morning to come play against us too. Everyone is looking forward to it.”

Both of these clubs could win the Stanley Cup this season. They know the road to that parade will likely go through the other.

This game will have the feel of a heavyweight title fight, even with key injuries on both sides. So will the one April 4 back in Dallas. And then we’ll all wait and see if there’s yet another titanic battle looming in the playoffs.

“These are awesome games. The rivalry is definitely there,” Avs defenseman Brett Kulak said. “I’m new here, so I don’t know how it has developed over time. Right now, it is all about who wants to be on top of the league. That’s pretty much all the motivation you need to carry into tonight.”

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