Hryckowian had a chance to end the game in regulation with an empty-net goal. He made a pass to Benn, who missed the net.
“I’ve got to rewatch it. I wasn’t really thinking too much. I just picked my head up, saw that it was kind of like a rush and swung it over. Probably wasn’t the right play. Put him in a tough spot,” Hryckowian said. “That’s the team to beat right now. It’s good to get a little taste and see how you measure up against them.”
Makar gave Colorado a 1-0 lead while on a power play at 3:33 of the first period, scoring with a snap shot from the inside of the right face-off circle that picked the top corner stick side.
“I thought both teams played hard and from our side of it, I think we made too many mistakes early in that game that gave up quality and dangerous scoring chances, so they capitalized on some of them,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “But I thought we cleaned that up as the game went on a little bit and got a little more dangerous offensively as the game went on, but overall, I think power play gets two, an empty-net situation gets one, penalty kill kills huge penalties in the third, 5-on-3, and that’s likely the difference in the long game.”
Heiskanen tied it 1-1 at 7:11 of the first when his point shot deflected off an Avalanche stick in the slot on the power play.
“Tight game, could have gone either way. Both teams had good chances. It’s small margins,” Heiskanen said. “We lost one point. A little disappointing for sure. I thought we played a pretty good game that we could have won.”
Johnston gave Dallas a 2-1 lead at 10:39. He circled behind the net and used Colorado forward Zakhar Bardakov as a screen for a snap shot from the slot.
Hryckowian made it 3-1 at 16:07 when he put the puck into an open net from the bottom of the left face-off circle after Blackwood misplayed the puck behind his net.
MacKinnon cut the lead to 3-2 with two seconds remaining in the period, scoring on a one-timer from the bottom of the left face-off circle on the power play.