Hockey is a game of inches and bounces, where even the slightest lapse can prove costly. No one is exempt—not even, arguably, the best defenseman in the NHL, Cale Makar. After a late reaction led to the game-winning overtime goal for the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs clash with the Colorado Avalanche, Makar delivered a sincere, seven-word message to his teammates, including Nathan MacKinnon.
The Avalanche couldn’t feed off the energy inside Ball Arena after Gabriel Landeskog made his NHL return after almost three years. The environment in Denver was far from welcoming for the Stars, as Mikko Rantanen had warned his teammates, but Dallas managed to take the wind out of the crowd. Despite jumping to a 1-0 lead in the first period, the Avs eventually lost in overtime for the second game in a row in their first round matchup with the Stars.
To make matters worse—and compound an already deflating home defeat—Makar, MacKinnon, and the Avalanche’s star-studded power play squandered a golden opportunity when the Stars were assessed a four-minute double-minor penalty that carried over from the final minutes of regulation into overtime.
Tyler Seguin played the role of overtime hero for Dallas this time around. Much like Colin Blackwell’s sudden-death winner in Game 2, the Stars capitalized from close range on goalie Mackenzie Blackwood after Colorado allowed a high-danger entry into the slot. It was Makar’s assignment who found the opening and didn’t miss—prompting a candid, if brief, comment from the star blueliner.
Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche stands on the ice during a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on September 28, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Colorado won 4-2.
“I just can’t lose my guy,” Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar admitted during his postgame media availability. “They’re an opportunistic team, we know that. They get little chances and they get their one chance and it’s in the net.”
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Far from over
The Stars and Avalanche are one of the most-evenly matched showdowns in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with neither side expecting a lopsided score in the series. Though dropping the first game on home-ice is far from ideal, the Avalanche cannot hang their heads in sorrow.
“We still got another home game after this one, so we can’t dwell on this one too long,” Makar added. “Ever at the moment, it is what it is, but we got to take it in stride, learn from this one and move on.”
The Dallas Stars celebrate an overtime win after a goal by Tyler Seguin #91 against the Colorado Avalanche in Game Three of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena on April 23, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.
Deflating stat
The Avalanche can’t help but feel a sense of discouragement—they’ve appeared in control for much of the series, yet the scoreboard tells a different story. And at the end of the day, no one remembers how a series looked or felt. The only thing that sticks is who won and who didn’t.
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Through three games, the Stars have held the lead for less than 70 seconds total—yet they’re up 2-1 in the series. Dallas has simply been more opportunistic, capitalizing on key moments, just as Makar pointed out. Meanwhile, Colorado has let several grade-A chances slip through their fingers.
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Regardless, it’s still anyone’s series. The Stars and Avalanche will clash again Saturday night at Ball Arena. A Dallas win would push Colorado to the brink, sending them back to Texas down 3-1. That’s why it’s paramount for the Avs to regroup and get one back on home ice—forcing the series into a deadlock before heading back to the Lone Star State.
