Martin Necas scored four points. © APA / STACY REVERE

Dramatic top match: Stars' winning streak comes to an end

The Colorado Avalanche made a resounding statement in the top match of the Central Division in the North American ice hockey league NHL. With a victory in a penalty shootout, Colorado ended the Dallas Stars' record ten-game winning streak.

March 07, 2026

From: sn

However, the NHL's top-scoring team had to fight until the very last second: Valeri Nichushkin only managed to equalize 14 seconds before the end of regulation time, before Colorado prevailed in the shootout – the final score was 5:4.

The matchup in Dallas was already of enormous importance before the first face-off. Both teams are among the dominant forces in the Western Conference, both had strengthened their rosters shortly before the trade deadline – and many observers consider a rematch of this duel in the playoffs likely.

Colorado remains in the lead

With the victory, Colorado (93 points) extended their lead in the West, while Dallas (86 points) still managed to score in their eleventh consecutive game despite the defeat.

Wyatt Johnston scored for the Dallas Stars. © APA / STACY REVERE

From the outset, the game developed into a playoff-like affair. Cale Makar gave Colorado an early 1-0 lead on the power play after just over three minutes (4th minute), but Dallas responded immediately. Miro Heiskanen equalized, also on the power play (8th minute), before Wyatt Johnston (11th minute) and Justin Hryckowian (17th minute) put the Stars ahead 3-1 before the end of the first period. Shortly before the first intermission, Nathan MacKinnon narrowed the gap to 3-2 (20th minute), again on the power play, keeping his team in the game.

In the second period, Jamie Benn quickly extended Dallas' lead to 4-2 (22nd minute), but Colorado remained tenacious. Martin Necas narrowed the gap to 4-3 (29th minute), sparking the comeback. When Dallas maintained their lead in the final period, it seemed likely the Stars would extend their winning streak. But Colorado went all out in the final minutes, turning the game on its head.