Valeri Nichushkin plays hero as Avs top Stars in battle of NHL’s best

Valeri Nichushkin forced overtime in the final minute of regulation and then scored in the shootout for the visiting Colorado Avalanche, who ended the Dallas Stars’ 10-game winning streak with a 5-4 victory Friday night.

Martin Necas, who had a goal and three assists in regulation, beat Jake Oettinger for the shootout clincher. Nathan MacKinnon added his league-leading 42nd goal and two assists, while Cale Makar finished with a goal and an assist.

Scott Wedgewood was flawless in relief, stopping 10 shots and two more in the shootout to secure the Avalanche’s fourth straight win. He took over for Mackenzie Blackwood, who made only seven saves on 11 shots before leaving the game less than two minutes into the second period.

Miro Heiskanen, Wyatt Johnston, and Justin Hryckowian each scored a goal and added an assist for Dallas. Jamie Benn also scored, while Jason Robertson and Mavrik Bourque recorded two assists apiece.

Jake Oettinger made 25 saves, but his personal winning streak ended at eight.

The matchup of the NHL’s top two teams lived up to expectations with a playoff-like atmosphere, with Nichushkin forcing overtime with 15 seconds left in regulation. It ended with the same score as the teams’ first matchup on Oct. 11 in Denver, only this time Colorado won.

Makar’s 19th of the season opened the scoring just 3:33 into the game on the power play, but Heiskanen answered on the man advantage less than four minutes later, set up by Robertson and Johnston.

Those three would factor again in the scoring with 9:21 left in the period as Johnston’s 34th of the season gave Dallas the lead.

It grew to 3-1 with 3:53 left after a miscommunication between Blackwood and Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews behind the net led to a turnover picked up by Bourque, who fed Hryckowian for the goal.

MacKinnon made it 3-2 with less than two seconds left in the period as Colorado got its second power-play goal.

The Stars regained a two-goal lead shortly after the start of the second period on Benn’s goal at 18:08, chasing Blackwood.

Necas cut the deficit back to one with 11:54 left in the second. Gabriel Landeskog assisted for his 600th career point.

Nichushkin had a shot with just over three minutes to go that rang off both posts, but the Russian veteran made the most of his second chance for his 13th of the season after the Avalanche pulled Wedgewood for the extra skater with 1:45 left.

Friday marked the return to the ice for Roope Hintz, who had not played since the Olympic break due to illness, but the Dallas forward exited with 4:22 left in the second period after sustaining an apparent lower-body injury.

–Field Level Media