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Good & Bad: Second Period Surge Lifts Avalanche Over Dallas Stars

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DENVER — The second period hasn’t been great for the Avalanche as of late. Especially on this homestand, where both the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers dominated play in the middle frame.



But on Saturday, the Avs were exceptional in the second period, scoring three times to lift them to a massive 6-3 victory over Central Division rival Dallas Stars in a matinee at Ball Arena.

Dallas had the first goal before Casey Mittelstadt, Cale Makar (two goals), Artturi Lehkonen (two), and Jonathan Drouin scored for the Avs. Lehkonen also had two assists, compiling his first four-point game of the season and third of his career. Mittelstadt pitched in with two assists and Makar added an assist.

The opening goal from the Stars came from Matt Duchene, who scored on the power play on the only shot for his team through the first 14 minutes of action.

Before Avs goalie Scott Wedgewood faced a second shot, the game was tied up thanks to Mittelstadt’s first tally in eight games. Mittelstadt was reunited with Lehkonen and Drouin, the two wingers he closed out last season with, and broke through with a big goal. It’s just his second in the last 28 games. He also got his first three-point performance since October.

“They were outstanding,” Bednar said. “It just seemed like the game slowed down for those guys against a really tough checking team.”

The teams entered the second period deadlocked at 1-1. After an early burst of opportunities for Dallas, the Avs started to take over. First, it was Makar on the power play, breaking a six-game PP drought for the Avalanche and scoring the 100th of his career in the process. Just 85 seconds later, Lehkonen came flying into the zone and fired a wrist shot past goalie Casey DeSmith into the top corner.

But they weren’t done yet.

Drouin also scored his 100th career goal before the break after a beautiful toe drag to extend the lead to 4-1. The 29-year-old has played just 14 games this season but has as many points. He’s been in and out of the lineup on three different occasions since opening night but continues to produce whenever he’s back.

“The skating part of it, the hands part of it, it just comes naturally to him, but a lot of work is involved in that,” Bednar said. “When he was not healthy enough to play, he wanted to be on the ice all the time and make sure he’s getting touches so then when he comes back, it’s just a matter of being able to execute in the limited time and space you get an NHL game.”

Both teams scored twice in the third period. Jason Robertson had two goals in short order for the Stars but Lehkonen and Makar’s second tallies came directly before and after.

Wedgewood, facing his former team, made 26 saves to earn his first win since Dec. 20.

Good: Scott Wedgewood

This was his first start since suffering an injury on Jan. 2 against the Buffalo Sabres. Considering how long it’s been since he’s played, and the fact that Mackenzie Blackwood had started six of seven games before that, it would be easy to forget just how good he is.

Wedgewood is one of the more active goalies in the NHL — very different from how Blackwood plays. He was reading plays well and making excellent desperation saves. All three of the Stars’ goals were scored just above or right below the goal line.

Wedgewood was especially great in the middle period where he stopped all 14 shots against. Both teams exchanged opportunities throughout but he did his part to allow Colorado to build the three-goal cushion before the second intermission.

Bad: The Duchene goal

Speaking of which, Wedgewood did have a bit of a rusty start. Both he and Bednar said it. The Duchene goal wasn’t a bounce from behind the net or with traffic in front like Robertson’s were. Sure, it was on the power play, but it was a play where he gave the shooter a little too much of the net to shoot at from a tough angle.

It’s not the worst thing given how he rebounded from that goal.

Also, Duchene scoring against the Avalanche is a safe bet, if you’re ever looking for one. He’s got 13 goals and 19 points in 18 regular season games since being traded.

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