DALLAS –The buzz going into the second game of the Dallas series was electric. The Avalanche came off a dominating win on Saturday, and the looming return of Gabriel Landeskog made this game even more notable than it already was.

Though the performance on Saturday was thought to indicate the rest of the series, the playoffs can be the wild west and anything can change with the snap of a finger.

First period

The Colorado Avalanche came out of the gate hot. At one point, the team was leading shots 8–3.

Lately, the roster has struggled to convert on the man-advantage, yet Nathan MacKinnon changed the momentum just under halfway into the period. With Mason Marchment in the box for tripping up Miles Wood, the opportunity was there. In a tic-tac-toe from Jonathan Drouin and Cale Makar, the Avalanche was off to the races.

With the aggression and a successful backcheck, the early analysis would suggest that they would have as prolific of a game as the first bout, where they captured a 5–1 victory and claimed an early series lead.

However, Parker Kelly caught a holding call and put Dallas on a power play. While the home team appeared sluggish in Saturday’s game, the team picked up the pace and netted a goal to tie it 1–1.

Second period

The second frame was arguably the most exciting. The Stars started the period with a little more ferocity, netting the go-ahead-goal.

But that wouldn’t be good enough. Jack Drury, with the help of Logan O’Connor and Ryan Lindgren, would equalize just a minute and two seconds later. While things seemed to go well and the Avalanche started gaining momentum going the other way, a dire situation rose to the surface.

After picking up an interference penalty, Josh Manson was sent to the box. With only seven seconds left on the penalty kill, O’Connor joined him in the box for tripping, making it a 5-on-3 advantage for Dallas.

The turning point came with a successful penalty kill for both infractions. In turn, O’Connor comes charging back onto the ice and, after a scramble, gets going the other way. In a falling backhanded shot, the goal goes in and the Avalanche reclaim their one-goal lead.

Third period

The final regulation frame would prove borderline disastrous for the roster, despite having plenty of opportunities to secure the win.

Colorado looked sluggish and took its foot off the gas, allowing Dallas to light the lamp, bringing the game back to a tie.

The tide could have turned late in the third period. With Mikko Rantanen in the box for hooking, the opportunity was there. There were several good looks, yet none of them panned out in the Avalanche’s favor.

With neither team sealing the deal, the game went to overtime.

Overtime period

The overtime period embodied everything playoff hockey is supposed to be. It was physical, it was fast-paced, and the clock seemed to run at twice the speed it normally does.

There was trouble skating and controlling the puck on both sides, but goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood kept the team alive. He came up big with several series of incredible saves to keep the game alive.

After fighting hard, the Avalanche fell to Dallas 4–3 in a heartbreaking defeat.

Observations from the mountaintop

As seen in this series, the Avalanche have no struggle to find opportunities to score and making it happen. However, they have struggled to find consistency throughout all three periods. In this game, they ended the second period on a massive roll, yet fell short of the mark with a lack of energy and grit.

Blackwood has arguably been one of the pivotal players in this playoff matchup. He does not struggle with the increased pressure, despite it being his first run in the playoffs. His incredible saves were the cornerstone of keeping the energy alive in the lineup.

The ice in Dallas seemed to have a large impact on the play. By the overtime period, players were falling over each other, snapping sticks on the ice, and generally made puck control difficult. While this doesn’t excuse some of the tide-turning mistakes, it definitely may help explain some difficulties the team was facing.

Next game

The Colorado Avalanche will return to home ice on Wednesday, April 23. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. MT. ESPN and Altitude will broadcast the game.