On Monday night, the Colorado depleted Avalanche faced an uphill battle against the Dallas Stars with key players absent. Despite an impressive performance by goaltender Alexandar Georgiev and enthusiastic support from the Ball Arena crowd, the Avalanche fell short, succumbing to a resounding 5-1 defeat in Game 4.
The Stars now have the upper hand, poised to potentially eliminate the Avalanche from the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 5 at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night. Despite some positive news with Jonathan Drouin making his postseason debut for Colorado, the absence of Valeri Nichushkin, who entered Stage 3 of the NHL-NHLPA Player Assistance Program, dealt a blow to the team just before the game.
Although Georgiev showcased brilliance early on, the Stars unleashed relentless offensive pressure, a departure from their previous encounters with the Avalanche. A critical moment came late in the first period when Colorado failed to capitalize on a power play, leading to a turnover by Cale Makar and subsequent goals by Wyatt Johnston, putting Dallas ahead 2-0.
As the game progressed, Dallas maintained control, with Miro Heiskanen extending the lead to 3-0 in the second period. Despite a brief resurgence from the Avalanche, highlighted by Casey Mittelstadt’s goal, the Stars continued to dominate.
