Instant Analysis from Game 1: Blackwood and MacKinnon Shine

Avs steal home ice and the series opener in Dallas

Game 1 | April 19, 2025
Colorado 5, Dallas 1
Avalanche lead series, 1-0

The Colorado Avalanche opened their second-round series against the Dallas Stars with a 5–1 win in Game 1, taking a 1–0 series lead and snatching away home-ice advantage. On paper, the four-goal margin suggests a blowout—but the game was far more competitive than the score indicates.

Colorado sealed it with three goals in the third period, scoring on just six shots to pull away and put the Stars on ice.

Let’s rewind and break down some key moments with instant analysis from the series opener:

• When the regular season ended the way it did for Artturi Lehkonen, you just had a gut feeling the guy known for clutch playoff goals was going to show up when the calendar flipped to the playoffs. And he wasted no time, scoring the first goal of the series. Was it pretty? God no. But it counted. Called a goal on the ice, confirmed after review.