By the time the third goal fluttered over Blackwood’s shoulder and in—off his damn back, no less—it felt less like hockey and more like a cosmic prank.
This wasn’t the kind of game you talk about with stats. You talk about it the way you describe a car crash at a four-way stop—nobody had the right of way, but someone’s insurance is going up.
Let’s be honest: Game 5 between the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars was messy. Gritty. Not the kind of game you bring home to meet your mother. But damn if it wasn’t playoff hockey in its most honest, chaotic form.
Nine Seconds to Gut Punch
Wyatt Johnston scored before you could finish your nachos. Nine seconds in. Sharp angle. Off the far post. Suddenly, the Avs were playing uphill on a sheet of Texas ice as slick as an oil deal.
Blackwood? Shaky. A few unlucky bounces, sure, but if the crease is a sanctuary, he left the door ajar. That second goal? Landed on his back like unpaid taxes and rolled in. Third one? A Stars cross-ice special that left him hung out to dry. Like laundry. In a windstorm.
And yet—credit where it’s due—Colorado clawed back. Lekhonen and MacKinnon each struck to pull the Avs within one. Momentum shifted. The crowd hushed. For a moment, you could feel Game 6 coming into view like a desert mirage.
Then came the penalties.
Referees and “Preseason Calls”
Gabe Landeskog was diplomatic, but if you read between the lines, the Avs’ captain sounded like a man trying to shake hands while someone’s stepping on his foot. “A couple of those are preseason calls,” he muttered, frustration tucked just behind his Swedish restraint.
Jared Bednar? A little more pointed: “Didn’t love that penalty call… especially the way the game was going”. That’s coach-speak for, “Are you kidding me?”
Dallas cashed in. Johnston again. Marchment followed. 5-2. And just like that, Game 5 was chalked up to one of those nights where everything rolls downhill and nobody remembered to pack the brakes.
The Stars’ Redemption Arc
Pete DeBoer doesn’t do poetry, but his team sure played like a redemption song. The Stars’ head coach essentially bet on pride and playoff pedigree—and he won. Wyatt Johnston, Roope Hintz, and yes, even ex-Av Mikko Rantanen (the Dallas edition) finally showed up like long-overdue wedding guests. Three points for Rantanen, a goal and two assists, and a smirk that said, “I told you I’d RSVP.”
But the story wasn’t just the scoreboard. It was the bruises. The scrums. The Mortal Kombat theme playing as misconducts were handed out. No, seriously. That happened.
What’s Next? Blood, Noise, and Altitude
The Avalanche head back to Ball Arena now, facing elimination in front of the same fans who’ve seen this group perform miracles. But they’ll need more than belief.
They’ll need discipline—no more odd-man rushes, no more defensive lapses, and definitely no more goals bouncing off their goalie like pinballs.
They’ll need execution—MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen (the Colorado one) need to write Game 6 like it’s a script for their hockey legacy.
And maybe, just maybe, they’ll need a little bit of righteous fury.
Because Game 5? That was a Dallas statement. Game 6? That needs to be an Avalanche response.
Not desperate.
Decisive.