Preseason contests are often dismissed as inconsequential, yet the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars delivered a riveting spectacle at American Airlines Center, transforming the typically perfunctory finale of the exhibition slate into a genuine thriller.
For much of the night, the Stars dictated play, asserting their rhythm and tempo. The Avalanche, however, gradually found their footing in the second period and mounted a determined push. Victor Olofsson’s late third-period tally knotted the score at two, momentarily tilting the momentum. Dallas wasted little time in issuing a response—Colin Blackwell restored the lead shortly thereafter, sealing a 3–2 victory that punctuated the Stars’ impressive 5–1 preseason campaign, their lone setback having come against Colorado on September 27. The Avalanche, meanwhile, concluded their exhibition slate with a respectable 4–2 mark.
Tristen Nielsen and Olofsson paced the Avalanche offensively, each recording two points. Olofsson provided the dramatic late equalizer in the third period, while Nielsen played a key role as the primary setup man on that tally. Gavin Brindley and T.J. Tynan also contributed with an assist apiece, rounding out a well-distributed offensive performance.
Scott Wedgewood got the start in goal for Colorado, turning aside 11 of 13 shots before giving way to Trent Miner after the second period. Miner held steady in relief, stopping all 12 shots he faced to close out the night.
Dallas was paced by Jason Robertson, who recorded a goal and an assist, while Wyatt Johnston contributed two assists of his own. Arttu Hyry and Colin Blackwell each found the back of the net, and Jake Oettinger turned aside 21 of 23 shots to secure the victory in net.
What Happened
Dallas burst out of the gate with palpable energy, looking every bit the fresher, sharper team in the early going playing a mostly NHL lineup against Avalanche minor leaguers. The Stars capitalized at 6:15 of the opening frame when Arttu Hyry deftly redirected Adam Erne’s wraparound wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle, staking Dallas to an early 1–0 advantage.
Despite posting a strong preseason record, the Avalanche have consistently been hampered by their inability to stay out of the penalty box—a troubling trend that has persisted over the last six games. Saturday night proved no different.
Not long after Dallas opened the scoring, Zakhar Bardakov was sent off for hooking, followed in short order by a tripping call on Tristen Nielsen—a penalty that, to put it diplomatically, was debatable. Questionable or not, the sequence underscored a recurring issue for Colorado: discipline, or the lack thereof.
Early in the second period, Bardakov found himself in the box once again, this time for cross-checking Tyler Seguin. The penalty kill, buoyed by strong work from Wedgewood, weathered the storm through the first two infractions. On the third, however, the dam finally broke. At 3:59, Robertson slipped behind the defense and beat Wedgewood cleanly, extending Dallas’s lead to 2–0 and made Colorado pay for their mistakes.
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT
Roughly four minutes later, tempers began to flare even further After a whistle, Parker Kelly gave Robertson a shove, prompting Robertson to respond with a right hand to the face. The officials quickly assessed matching minors, setting the stage for a stretch of 4-on-4 hockey.
The physicality only escalated from there. A few minutes later, Lian Bichsel cross-checked Matt Stienburg into the boards, and Stienburg immediately retaliated with a cross-check of his own before the two dropped the gloves. Bichsel opened the bout with a sharp right hand followed by a quick rabbit punch, asserting control early. Stienburg managed to land a wide, sweeping right, but the size disparity was evident—Bichsel tossed him around with ease.
Because both players initiated cross-checks prior to the fight, each received seven minutes in penalties: five for fighting and two for cross-checking.
Robertson found himself back in the penalty box later in the second period after tripping Joel Kiviranta, and this time Colorado made him pay. On the ensuing power play, Tristen Nielsen crashed the slot and buried a rebound off an Olofsson shot, cutting the deficit and injecting new life into the contest.
Down The Stretch
Following two frenetic periods, the third saw both teams largely return to a more measured, disciplined approach. After all, it is only preseason hockey, and risking an injury in an exhibition game would be silly.
As the clock wound down, Colorado gradually intensified its pressure, ratcheting up the pace with urgency. With just over five minutes remaining, the Avalanche struck a pivotal blow. Nielsen deftly evaded a check and threaded a precise pass to Olofsson, who promptly snapped a wrist shot past Oettinger to knot the score at 2–2. Nielsen’s evasive maneuver was critical—without it, the tying goal simply would not have materialized.
Yet the respite was short-lived. Barely 86 seconds later, Dallas regained the lead when Blackwell—who had famously netted the overtime winner against Colorado in Game 2 of last year’s First Round—buried a rebound off a Robertson shot. That strike proved decisive, securing a 3–2 victory for the Stars and capping off an exciting, high-octane affair.
Takeaways
These were mostly AHL guys and the Avalanche only had a small handful of regular starters but nonetheless, it was impressive to see the fight from this team. Dallas looked incredible at the start and Wedgewood was making great save after great save to keep them in the game. Having a great penalty kill is good, but again, penalties have been an issue on the AHL side for most of the preseason, but it’s a process.
Aside from his penalties, Bardakov was skating very well and he put himself in position to capitalize offensively. Even if he didn’t show up on the stat sheet, the effort was there. Bardakov always seems to find a way to be involved in the play, and that’s what we want to see from the 4C.
Defenseman Samuel Girard, who has been dealing with lower-body injury for the past month, made his preseason debut in this game. He delivered a steady performance, showing no hesitation to engage in board battles, which is a good sign. In recent practices, Girard had been eased back into action at a measured pace, suggesting that the cautious approach was precautionary rather than indicative of a lingering injury.
Behrens Hurt?
Concerns linger over Sean Behrens, who may be facing another setback. The defenseman, sidelined for the entirety of last season with a devastating knee injury, did not take a single shift in either the second or third period. His current status remains uncertain, and another significant injury could have serious implications for his development. We are hoping for the best, but updates will follow if information becomes available.
What’s Next
The Avalanche will open their regular season campaign against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, October 7. The contest, part of a TNT triple-header, is scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. MT start and will be broadcast nationally.
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