Stars grab three-goal lead, hang on vs. Avalanche

Mason Marchment had two goals and an assist and Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin had a goal and an assist each as the host Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 on Friday night.

Roope Hintz also scored, Jake Oettinger stopped 29 shots and Miro Heiskanen had two assists for Dallas, which snapped a two-game skid.

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen also scored, Cale Makar had two assists and Alexandar Georgiev made 19 saves for Colorado.

Seguin gave Dallas a 1-0 lead on the power play when he beat Georgiev with a sharp-angle shot over the goalie's shoulder at 5:36 of the first period. It was his ninth goal of the season.

The Avalanche answered soon after on their first power play. Rantanen hit the post on a shot, the puck came down in front of the net and Nichushkin tapped it by Oettinger at 13:56 of the first.

It was Nichushkin's third of the season and second goal in as many games.

The Stars retook the lead 32 seconds later on an odd-man rush. Marchment passed it to Heiskanen, whose shot went off Georgiev's back before Marchment stuffed it inside the right post at 14:28.

Dallas scored twice in the second to take a commanding lead into the intermission. Benn made it 3-1 at 7:07 when Georgiev stopped Heiskanen's shot and Benn knocked in the rebound for his fifth of the season.

Hintz, who returned after missing a game, got a pass in the slot from Wyatt Johnston and one-timed it by Georgiev for his ninth goal, a power-play tally at 18:42 for a 4-1 Dallas lead.

Colorado got back in the game in the third. Lehkonen made it 4-2 just 1:02 into the period when his shot was tipped by Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and past Oettinger for his his fourth of the season.

Rantanen got the Avalanche within one with his team-leading 15th goal of the season at 8:03. Georgiev came off for an extra skater late but Marchment scored into the empty net at 17:17, his ninth of the season.

--Field Level Media