Final
Tanguay lifts Avs past Stars
Jan 28, 2014 - 5:51 AM Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Alex Tanguay scored the winner in the third period and Semyon Varlamov finished the game with 41 saves as the Colorado Avalanche took a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars.Jamie McGinn, Paul Stastny and Nathan MacKinnon all scored for the Avalanche, who have won six of their last eight.
Tyler Seguin posted two goals and an assist while Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist for the Stars, who had a three-game winning streak stopped. Kari Lehtonen made 17 stops in the loss.
"It's a tough one. We had a couple of great opportunities late but just couldn't get it to go," said Dallas head coach Lindy Ruff. "We had probably five or six point-blank chances in the second to blow the game open but he (Varlamov) was there and made some saves."
With the score tied in the third, Colorado took a 4-3 lead at 4:13 as Tanguay threw a pass out front from the left side that went off the skate of a Star and in.
From there, it was Varlamov's show, as he made several huge stops in the frame, including a backhand shot from Antoine Roussel on a partial break with about 3 1/2 minutes to play.
Varlamov finished the frame with 13 stops, also helping the team kill off a power play for the win.
"You know, it wasn't pretty, but those things happen," said Tanguay of the goal. "I had [Stastny] in the corner of the net. If it doesn't hit something else, it probably goes in with him. We'll take those bounces, and Varlamov was great. He gave us a chance to win, and that was the difference in the game."
MacKinnon scored on a backhander just 100 seconds into the game to give the Avs a 1-0 lead, and the team added to their advantage at 15:57 of the first.
Matt Duchene gained the line down the right wing and left a drop pass from Ryan O'Reilly, who sent it to the slot where McGinn got a shot off then slammed home his own rebound for a 2-0 lead.
Dallas got one back 90 seconds later as Tyler Seguin whipped a pass from the left boards to the slot where Benn snuck home a quick shot for his 20th of the season.
The Stars tied the game 1:02 into the second on the power play as good work in the Colorado end was finished off when Benn sent a pass from the right circle to the low left side where Seguin finished it off.
Colorado took the lead back at 17:57 of the second on the man advantage as a bad clear from behind the net was picked up by Stastny and he quickly backhanded it in.
Dallas, though, answered 16 seconds later as Seguin's wrister on the fly from the right wing beat Varlamov for his 23rd of the season.
Game Notes
Colorado hosts Minnesota on Thursday ... Dallas hosts New Jersey on Thursday ... The Avs won four of the five games against the Stars this season ... Colorado was 1-for-2 on the power play, while Dallas went 1-for-4.
- COLORADO: 4
DALLAS: 3
Final
Jan 27 11:05 PM - COLORADO: 3
DALLAS: 3
End of 2nd
Jan 27 10:09 PM - Colorado Power-Play Goal - Paul Stastny (15), at 17:57.
Avalanche 3, Stars 2 2nd - 2:03Jan 27 10:06 PM - Dallas Power-Play Goal - Tyler Seguin (22), from Jamie Benn and Alex Goligoski at 1:02.
Avalanche 2, Stars 2 2nd - 18:58Jan 27 9:35 PM - COLORADO: 2
DALLAS: 1
End of 1st
Jan 27 9:13 PM - COLORADO: 0
DALLAS: 0
1st Period - 20:00
Jan 27 8:40 PM
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