The Avalanche snuff out the Stars

Down two, twice, and Colorado still burns

Two goals down, twice

It was a quarterfinal in Dallas, and only one flame would leave the American Airlines Center lit. The Colorado Avalanche had already snuffed the Blackhawks on qualification night and the Wild in the round of 16. The Dallas Stars had doused the Sharks and the Jets. Last season the two clubs finished 7th and 8th of 32. That left almost nothing between them, and a loss here meant going dark with only four candles left on the shelves.

The Stars led by two in the second period. At 9:07 of the third they led by two again. They came within 1:09 of going through.

Seguin strikes, Drouin answers

Evgenii Dadonov snapped Dallas ahead at 11:57 of the first, and Nathan MacKinnon replied with a backhand 1:47 later. Tyler Seguin's wrist shot and Joe Pavelski's power-play slapper, scored during Jack Johnson's high-sticking double minor, made it 3-1. With Dadonov in the box for hooking, Jonathan Drouin snapped in a power-play goal at 19:48 of the second. Seguin's second wrister restored the two-goal cushion in the third. Drouin tipped one in 0:38 later.

MacKinnon closes it

With Alexandar Georgiev pulled for an extra attacker, Mikko Rantanen deflected the tying goal at 18:51 of the third, set up by Logan O'Connor and Cale Makar. In overtime, Devon Toews fed MacKinnon, who snapped it past Scott Wedgewood 3:40 in. The Stars' flame went cold, and the Avalanche burn on.