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Avalanche erase three-goal deficit, take Game 1 vs. Stars in OT
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Avalanche erase three-goal deficit, take Game 1 vs. Stars in OT

Originally posted on The Avs Report  |  By Chloe Wright  |  Last updated 5/8/24

The Colorado Avalanche overcame a three-goal deficit to win the first game of their second-round series against the Dallas Stars in overtime.

Dallas came out with a statement first period on home ice, scoring three goals in their first five shots to take a three-goal lead into the break. It was short-lived. The Avalanche commanded the second period, scoring two goals, and Hart Trophy Finalist Nathan MacKinnon tied the game just 39 seconds into the third period.

From there, the defenses both slowed the game down, and in overtime, things looked dire for the Avalanche. Dallas had the first six shots on goal, and Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev came up with gigantic saves to keep the game alive. Following a huge save, the puck was sent down the ice, and newly minted Colorado hero Miles Wood blew by a floundering Miro Heiskanen, then deked around Jake Oettinger to bury the game winner.

Here are the takeaways from the Avalanche win on Tuesday night:

The Wild World of Miles Wood

This is why the Stanley Cup Playoffs are where legends are made. As was mentioned in the series primer, Stars top defenseman Miro Heiskanen is pretty good, but he doesn’t belong in the same conversation as truly elite D-men like Cale Makar and Devon Teows. Miles Wood showed exactly why as he absolutely WALKED Heiskanen to get the puck to the net-front, where Wood then went fore-hand to back-hand on Oettinger while Heiskanen pulled at his back arm with futility.

You don’t always know what Miles Wood gives you on any given shift, but you always know he is giving you 100% of his effort in doing it. On a team as star-studded as the Avalanche, Wood still stands out as a unique presence in this playoff run, and he was the hero Tuesday night.

The Big Boys

Miles Wood finished this game, but make no mistake: The Avalanche superstars stole the show in game one. Makar passed Sandis Ozolinsh for the all-time lead in goals by a defenseman in Avalanche/Nordiques franchise history. Valeri Nichushkin extended his goal streak to six games, one behind Pat LaFontaine for the longest playoff opening goal streak in NHL history. MacKinnon added a goal for the game-tying tally, and all of these Avs did this against Jake Oettinger, the best goalie in the playoffs. Second-best tonight, after humbling Connor Hellebuyck in Round 1, Oettinger has joined the ranks of amazing goalies the Avalanche make average.

Speaking of “big,” the defining moment of this game might not have been in overtime. It might have come in the first period. With the final 30 seconds winding down in the first period and the Avalanche on the penalty kill, Josh Manson saved a shot behind his goalie and cleared the puck by batting it out of the air to save a sure goal that would have been the game-winner in another world. Manson was arguably the best goalie on the rink tonight—until overtime, that is.

Georgie’s Journey

Alexandar Georgiev had a terrible start to Tuesday night’s game. It’s just true. Letting in three goals on his first five shots mirrored the cataclysmic collapse he gave the team in game one against Winnipeg. If you want to roast Georgiev for the first period, you have to give him his well-earned praise for overtime. The Avalanche sheltered Georgiev in periods two and three, but the dam burst in overtime, and Georgiev had to make a series of incredible saves.

Georgiev has always been described as an emotional goalie, and the moment getting bigger seems to have made Georgiev bigger in turn. He saved all six scoring chances Dallas threw on net, three of which were high-danger. Georgiev was a hero as much as Miles Wood in overtime Tuesday. The Avalanche will strap back in for Georgiev’s wild ride on Thursday night for Game 2.

Looking ahead

Game two of the second-round series between the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche will be Thursday at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. Puck drop is tentatively scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MDT.

This article first appeared on The Avs Report and was syndicated with permission.

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