DENVER — Nathan MacKinnon sent the puck into traffic in front of the net. What happened next may go down as one of the biggest playoff goals he’s ever “scored.”
MacKinnon got credit for a go-ahead goal with 10:56 remaining after the puck bounced off the shoulder of a Dallas player and the Colorado Avalanche staved off elimination by beating the Stars 7-4 in Game 6 on Thursday night.
It was the bounce that kept the Avalanche from being bounced. The first-round playoff series heads to Dallas for Game 7 on Saturday.
On the winning goal, MacKinnon sent a pass near the goal that Sam Steel tried to clear. But it hit the shoulder of Colin Blackwell and caromed toward the net. Goaltender Jake Oettinger couldn’t corral the fluttering puck with his glove.
“Super lucky,” MacKinnon said. “Hopefully we get more of those Saturday.”
For the Stars, they’re trying to “laugh it off,” Oettinger said. Same with Valeri Nichushkin‘s goal to start the game that hit a stick, then a skate and went in. Or Cale Makar winding up for a slap shot, only to not get much of it and have it turn into the perfect pass to Artturi Lehkonen for a goal.
“They got better bounces than us,” Oettinger said. “Just can’t make it up. Obviously, (Blackwell) is not trying to knock it in our net.”
Nichushkin has been struggling in the series and taking his frustrations out on his sticks. He got on track with two goals, including the tying tally with 13:58 remaining. Lehkonen and Martin Necas also added goals, while Josh Manson and Makar scored into an empty net.
Makar, MacKinnon, Brock Nelson and captain Gabriel Landeskog each added two assists. Mackenzie Blackwood made 22 saves to send the first-round playoff series back to Dallas.
Stars coach Pete DeBoer is 8-0 all-time in Game 7s, while the Avalanche have lost the last six times they’ve been in a decisive seventh game of a series.
Asked if he liked Game 7s, Stars coach Pete DeBoer responded: “I’d rather win in six. I like Game 7s at home – I can tell you that.”
Colorado avoided having its season end at the hands of Dallas in a Game 6 at home for a second straight postseason. Stars forward and former Avalanche player Matt Duchene ended the second-round series a year ago in double overtime.
Trailing 2-0, the Stars erupted with a four-goal second period led by Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen. Hintz had two goals and two assists, while Rantanen added a goal and three assists against his former team. The Finnish standouts are the first pair of teammates in league history to each record four points in a playoff period, according to NHL Stats.
Mikael Granlund, another Finnish player, also scored in the pivotal period. Oettinger turned back 41 shots on a night the Avalanche outshot the Stars by a 48-26 margin.
“Both teams are going to be desperate,” Rantanen said of Game 7. “It’s a tight series. I’m expecting the same thing Saturday.
There was a scary moment in the second period when Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel lost an edge and slid into the boards with Jack Drury on his back. Bichsel stayed down for a moment before being helped to the bench. Bichsel returned in the third period.
