Valeri Nichushkin plays hero as Avs top Stars in battle of NHL's best

Valeri Nichushkin forced overtime in the final minute of regulation, then added a shootout goal for the visiting Colorado Avalanche, who ended the Dallas Stars' 10-game winning streak with a 5-4 win Friday night.

Martin Necas, who had a goal and three assists in regulation, beat Jake Oettinger for the shootout clincher. Nathan MacKinnon added his league-leading 42nd goal and two assists, while Cale Makar finished with a goal and an assist.

Scott Wedgewood was perfect in relief, saving 10 shots and two more in the shootout to give the Avalanche their fourth straight win. He replaced Mackenzie Blackwood, who made just seven saves against 11 shots before exiting the game less than two minutes into the second period.

Miro Heiskanen, Wyatt Johnston and Justin Hryckowian had a goal and an assist each for Dallas. Jamie Benn also scored while Jason Robertson and Mavrik Bourque notched two assists each.

Jake Oettinger stopped 25 shots but saw his personal winning streak end at eight.

The matchup of the NHL's top two teams lived up to expectations with a playoff-like atmosphere, with Nichushkin forcing overtime with 15 seconds left in regulation. It ended with the same score as the teams' first matchup on Oct. 11 in Denver, only this time Colorado won.

Makar's 19th of the season started the scoring just 3:33 into the game on the power play, but Heiskanen answered with a man-advantage goal less than four minutes later, set up by Robertson and Johnston.

Those three would factor again in the scoring with 9:21 left in the period as Johnston's 34th of the season gave Dallas the lead.

It grew to 3-1 with 3:53 left after a miscommunication between Blackwood and Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews behind the net led to a turnover picked up by Bourque, who fed Hryckowian for the goal.

MacKinnon made it 3-2 with less than two seconds left in the period as Colorado got its second power-play goal.

The Stars regained a two-goal lead shortly after the start of the second period on Benn's goal at 18:08, chasing Blackwood.

Necas cut the deficit back to one with 11:54 left in the second. Gabriel Landeskog assisted for his 600th career point.

Nichushkin had a shot with just more than three minutes left that rang off both posts, but the Russian veteran made the most of his second chance for his 13th after the Avalanche pulled Wedgewood for the extra skater with 1:45 left.

Friday marked the return to the ice for Roope Hintz, who had yet to play since the Olympic break because of illness, but the Dallas forward left with 4:22 in the second after suffering an apparent lower-body injury.

--Field Level Media