Preseason game recap: Dallas Stars sneak out of Ball Arena with last-second win over Colorado Avalanche

It's still preseason, but the losses against the Dallas Stars still hurt.

The Colorado Avalanche lost to the Stars in the last second with a score of 2:3 at the blue line, 0.2 seconds before the end. Just as dramatically as in May, Dallas managed to sneak into their own arena with the win.

What a way to welcome hockey back for the 2024-25 season, right? The Avs still have plenty of time to get everything in order, especially after the first of six games this preseason. Here's how it went.

First period

Colorado and Dallas came out and made it look like their playoff series never ended, just with 99% less intensity. Matthew Phillips had the Avs' best chance, but was denied by Magnus Hellberg in the Stars' goal. Justus Annunen and Erik Brannstrom tied the scores with a nice goal-line save.

The Avs had problems with penalties, and it was going to hurt them. Nikita Prishchepov was sent off for stick-swinging, and just 41 seconds later Joel Kiviranta called cross-checking. Wyatt Johnston continued to score against the Avalanche, converting a rebound off a Nils Lundkvist shot.

Their lead would not last long, however, despite Hellberg stealing the puck from TJ Tynan on a 2-on-1 with Pierre-Eduoard Bellemare. Tynan got the puck from Prishchepov, who redeemed himself with a forced turnover and passed it to Phillips just before halftime, who tied the score.

Second period

Early in the period, Lian Bichsel came out a little aggressive, jumping on Matthew Stienburg after he was stopped on a solo run and punching him while he was down. Both ended up in the penalty box for roughness – a sign that was to be expected for the rest of the period.

Nikolai Kovalenko won a puck battle along the boards and drew a holding penalty in the process. The Avalanche's first power play resulted in a goal, thanks to Cal Ritchie, who sent a beautiful shot forward to Jayson Megna, who deflected the ball for what appeared to be the opening goal. The goal was later credited to Ritchie because it rebounded off a Stars player.

Trent Miner was now in goal for the second period of the game and was busy with some shots. However, the referees were even busier calling a total of eight penalties in the period, leading to a 4-on-3 power play to close out the middle 20 minutes. But the Avs still held a 2-1 lead heading into the final period.

Third period

The Avs had three consecutive high-sticking fouls called, making eight in the game. Calle Rosen, Keaton Middleton and Oskar Olausson were the three called for them.

Luckily for Colorado, Dallas didn't score a single goal. However, they took advantage of a mistake by Middleton and Arttu Hyry finished the score to make it 2-2.

Jason Polin then got a hook that was fortunately called. The Avs barely got away with it, as for the second game in a row against the Stars (technically speaking), they went into overtime – or so they thought.

Bichsel released a ball from the point right after the siren sounded that went past Miner. After a quick review, the goal counted and with just 0.2 seconds left on the clock, the Stars were able to escape with a 3-2 victory.

Findings

In the grand scheme of things, this game won't mean much. But man, another heartbreaking loss to the Stars — though this game certainly came under much different circumstances. Thankfully, we can still focus on Ritchie's good play, scoring the Avs' second goal of the game. He wasn't as dominant as he was in development camp and the rookie tournament, but he was solid in a line with Olausson and Foudy. Sean Behrens was decent at the blue line and didn't offer anything too crazy, while Annunen was great between the posts, allowing just the one goal on a 5-on-3 with a jumping rebound.

Big names aside, it was fun to watch Prishchepov in this game, who was definitely a little shaken up at first — but recovered nicely with an assist. It was a well-worked goal, with the board battle win behind the net, the quick dump, and the goal. He's been quietly good all summer, at development camp in July and at the rookie tournament earlier this month. He's played well with Tynan and Phillips, and the latter of the two will at least play in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles and could make a good pair. PEB was also interesting to watch, as he kept falling over in the first period as if something was wrong with his skates. But the PTO forward remained without much fanfare for the rest of the game, a good thing for a guy who vouches for the role of fourth-line center.

If there's one thing Jared Bednar and his coaching staff will take from this game, it's to improve their game. Colorado managed to take nine penalties, four of them in the third period alone. With a slim 2-1 lead, Dallas played until the very last second and was able to score the winning goal. This is a long way from how the team will look on opening night in Las Vegas in a few weeks, but the Eagles, Utah Grizzlies and other teams will notice some of the sloppiness that needs to be addressed.

Soon

For the eighth consecutive year, the Avs will face these stars – this time on Friday night in Dallas. The puck drops at 6 p.m. MT.