27/02/2023

Michael Hutchinson made 31 saves in his first Stanley Cup Playoff start, and the Colorado Avalanche avoided elimination with a 6-3 win against the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Monday.

Michael Hutchinson made 31 saves in his first Stanley Cup Playoff start, and the Colorado Avalanche avoided elimination with a 6-3 win against the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Monday.Colorado scored four of its five first-period goals in a span of 2:36, one second shy of tying the NHL playoff record for fastest four goals. The Montreal Canadiens scored four times in 2:35 in Game 5 of the 1944 Semifinals against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Game 6 of the best-of-7 series is in Edmonton, the West hub city, on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, CBC, TVAS).
Hutchinson made three saves in relief in a 5-4 loss in Game 4 for Colorado, the No. 2 seed in the West, after Pavel Francouz was pulled. Francouz and Philipp Grubauer each was unfit to play Game 5.
Ben Bishop allowed four goals on 19 shots and was pulled 13:43 into the first period for Dallas, the No. 3 seed.
It was Bishop’s first game since Aug. 13, Game 1 of the first round against the Calgary Flames. Anton Khudobin, who started the previous eight games, made 20 saves in relief.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 4:37 of the first.
Andre Burakovsky made it 2-0 at 11:51.
Nathan MacKinnon made it 3-0 at 12:32. He has had at least one point in all 13 Colorado games this postseason (eight goals, 15 assists).
Nazem Kadri scored 61 seconds later for a 4-0 lead at 13:43, and Mikko Rantanen made it 5-0 at 14:27.
It was the most goals scored in one period in the playoffs in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history.
Joe Pavelski scored at 7:50 of the second to make it 5-1, and Miro Heiskanen made it 5-2 with a power-play goal at 17:31.
Burakovsky scored his second of the game at 18:04 to make it 6-2.
Jamie Benn made it 6-3 with a power-play goal at 14:12 of the third.