Hours after the NHL trade deadline, with rosters set, the top two teams in the NHL clashed at American Airlines Center Friday night for a measuring-stick game as the playoff race heats up.
The Stars blew a late lead to fall 5-4 to the Colorado Avalanche in a crushing shootout defeat, snapping their franchise-record 10-game win streak. The Stars’ points streak reached 11 games.
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Dallas allowed Colorado’s Valeri Nichushkin to tie the game with 14 seconds left in regulation. Former Stars goalie Scott Wedgewood, who subbed in for Mackenzie Blackwood early in the second period, made two saves in the shootout against Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene, while Stars goalie Jake Oettinger allowed the first two Colorado shooters to score.
Colorado’s NHL and Central Division leads grew to seven points with the win.
“I liked us tonight,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “I learned we’re right there. They’re obviously the top team in the league, and I thought we were right there with them, toe to toe. That was a great hockey game. We battled. We were resilient. We just didn’t get the outcome we wanted.”
The loss was made worse for Dallas by an injury to top-line centerman Roope Hintz late in the second period. Hintz and Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon got tied up in the corner before Hintz seemingly hyperextended his left leg. The Stars forward grabbed for his leg, could not stand up without the help of his teammates and could not put any pressure on his leg as he skated off the ice.
Friday was Hintz’s first game back since the Olympic break, as he’s battled an illness for over a week. The severity of his leg injury is unclear, but he did not return. Gulutzan did not have an update postgame, and the Stars’ coaches and players said they had not yet seen the play.
“It’s tough,” Stars captain Jamie Benn said. “We’ve been without him since the Olympic break here, so it was nice to have him back. We’ll have to manage without him again.”
The Stars are already without forwards Tyler Seguin, Mikko Rantanen and Radek Faksa because of injuries. With the trade deadline passing at 2 p.m. Friday, they cannot acquire any new forwards if Hintz’s injury is long-term.
Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) reacts after center Wyatt Johnston scores a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche, Friday, March 6, 2026, in Dallas.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
The high-event game started just minutes in, as the two teams combined for five goals in the first period. Colorado struck first on a power play goal by Cale Makar 3:33 into the game, but Dallas answered with the next three goals — one from Miro Heiskanen on the power play, one from Wyatt Johnston and the last from Justin Hryckowian into a wide open net when Blackwood, the Avalanche’s starting goalie, turned the puck over behind his own net.
Colorado ultimately made it a 3-2 game with less than two seconds remaining in the first period when MacKinnon scored on another power play. The Avalanche, who have the worst power play in the league (15.5%), went 2-for-3 on the man advantage in the first period.
But when Benn scored less than two minutes into the second period after a Hryckowian created a play on the forecheck, the Avalanche benched Blackwood. Wedgewood entered the net and didn’t allow a goal the rest of the game, including the overtime period and shootout.
Martin Necas cut the Stars’ lead to 4-3 just past the midway point of the game on a shot Oettinger probably would like back. The Stars’ goalie finished with 25 saves in the game in what wasn’t his strongest performance all-around.
The Stars nearly closed out the win in regulation, killing a late Colorado power play — one of five the Avalanche had all night. The Stars had a chance to ice the game with under two minutes remaining when Colorado pulled its goalie. Benn had a look at an empty net but missed. Moments later, Nichushkin, another former Star, scored the game-tying goal to send the game to overtime.
“That goes in, it’s probably over,” Benn said of his empty-net attempt. “They’re a good team. You give them a couple more chances, and they’re gonna make you pay.”
Sam Steel had a diving blocked shot, and Oettinger made a key save against Devon Toews in overtime to force the shootout. But Wedgewood helped steal the win.
The Stars had the chance to make up ground in the Central Division race but instead fell further behind. Colorado leads by seven points with a game in hand. The two teams will face again twice more in the regular season — in Colorado on March 18 and in Dallas on April 4.
“Lot of growth from the first game we played them until now,” Gulutzan said. “That’s just a preview of what’s to come.”
But in the meantime, attention turns to Hintz’s status and acclimating their two new trade-deadline acquisitions — defenseman Tyler Myers and forward Michael Bunting — who are expected to debut Sunday at home against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Twitter/X: @lassimak