Jake Oettinger gave the Dallas Stars a chance to steal a point Tuesday. He could not also supply the missing goal.
That was the shape of Colorado’s 3-2 victory at American Airlines Center, a result that exposed two problems at once: Dallas made life difficult for its goaltender in key moments, then asked too few of its forwards to solve Mackenzie Blackwood. Oettinger stopped 22 of 25 shots.
His .880 save percentage was ordinary on paper, but the game required more context than a decimal can provide.
Colorado’s first goal was a particularly poor candidate for goaltender blame. Josh Manson’s point attempt struck Nathan MacKinnon’s skate and changed direction toward Artturi Lehkonen, who quickly lifted a shot past Oettinger’s pad with 8:28 left in the opening period. The sequence involved a deflection, a loose puck and a close-range finish. Oettinger was beaten, but he was not presented with a clean, leisurely look.
Dallas got a fortunate bounce of its own before the period ended. Tyler Seguin sent the puck toward the far side on a power play, and Lehkonen’s skate redirected it into Colorado’s net. Seguin was credited with the goal and later assisted on Roope Hintz’s third-period tally; he also led the Stars with seven shots.
With Wyatt Johnston scratched because of illness, Seguin supplied the sort of extra responsibility Dallas needed. One player doing so, however, is not a scoring plan.
The Avalanche’s second goal showed the difference between a difficult chance and a well-executed attack. Martin Nečas and MacKinnon combined on an early second-period rush, exchanging the puck before Nečas snapped the return feed past Oettinger from the high slot. It was a fast, skillful play that tested the goalie before Dallas could fully close the sequence.
Some goals against are simply the price of facing elite execution.
The next one was more preventable, though Oettinger still made his part of the play. Kyle Capobianco took a cross-checking penalty at 14:18 of the second period, and Radek Faksa was called for tripping at 15:52. That gave Colorado a 5-on-3. Oettinger stopped Devon Toews’ shot, but Landeskog passed the rebound to Nečas, and Nečas completed the sharp-angle chance.
A two-man disadvantage is a defensive emergency, not a normal test of save percentage. Oettinger’s first stop kept the puck out; the penalty situation gave Colorado another attack before Dallas could reset. The Stars therefore need to clean up their discipline and coverage, but they also need enough offense to survive the occasional breakdown. A goalie cannot be the entire insurance policy.
Hintz cut the deficit to one 3:17 into the third, after Seguin fed him while working below the goal line. Miro Heiskanen earned his second assist of the night, and Dallas had 16:43 to find an equalizer. The opportunity was real. So was the shortage of finished chances afterward.
Blackwood deserves credit for making that shortage costly. He denied Sam Steel on a breakaway late in the second period, then stopped Justin Hryckowian’s shot from the slot less than two minutes later. Those were consequential saves, not decorative additions to a box score. Colorado’s goaltender protected the lead when Dallas had openings, while the Stars’ attack kept waiting for its next clean finish.