Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars: did Cale Makar’s first-period power-play strike turn Ball Arena into a shootout chessboard?

The Colorado Avalanche carried a 44-13-10 record into Ball Arena and left with 1 point after a 2-1 shootout result against the the Dallas Stars, who came in at 43-15-10 and earned 2 points. The 9:30 PM EDT scheduled start in Denver saw an attendance of 18146 and ended with the Stars taking the shootout 1-0 after a 1-1 tie through overtime in this Colorado Avalanche vs Dallas Stars recap.

First period

The Colorado Avalanche opened the scoring with 1 power-play goal after finishing the night 1-for-2 on the man advantage. Cale Makar supplied the Avalanche goal and finished with 1 goal on 4 shots for a 25 percent shooting rate in the previous game log. Nathan MacKinnon factored into the opening tally with 1 assist and produced 5 shots in the same player stat line.

Second period

The Avalanche kept the shot volume moving and ended the game with 34 shots while the Stars finished with 18 shots. The Avs controlled the dots with a 58 percent faceoff win rate while the Stars posted 42 percent. The Burgundy and Blue recorded 29 hits, and Parker Kelly delivered 11 hits in the previous-game player stats.

Third period

The Avalanche held the Stars scoreless in the third period as the Stars’ only regulation scoring came earlier at even strength. The Green and Gold finished with 14 giveaways while the Avs had 12 giveaways. Dallas blocked 20 shots while Colorado registered 6 blocked shots, a defensive split that shaped several Colorado Avalanche vs Dallas Stars key moments.

Overtime

The game stayed tied after overtime with the Stars registering 4 overtime shots and the Avalanche posting 3 overtime shots. Scott Wedgewood took the overtime loss in net for Colorado with 17 saves on 18 shots against, and Jake Oettinger earned the win for Dallas with 33 saves on 34 shots against. The Stars also killed off Avalanche short-handed time with 3 saves on 4 shots against while Colorado’s short-handed unit allowed no goals with 1 save on 1 shot against.

Shootout

Dallas decided it in the shootout by scoring on 1 of 3 attempts while the Avalanche went 0-for-3, creating the game-changing plays Colorado Avalanche vs Dallas Stars that flipped the extra point. Oettinger stopped all 3 Colorado shootout shots, and Wedgewood turned aside 2 of 3 Dallas shootout tries. The Avalanche match rating conversation starts with the special teams split that included Colorado’s 1 power-play goal and Dallas going 0-for-2.

The Avalanche next game will be broadcast from United Center in Chicago, Illinois on 03/20/2026 at 8:30 PM EDT with viewing available on ESPN+, CHSN, ALT, and KTVD. Run it back with the Avs coverage on those networks, and share this article with other Colorado fans following the road swing.