DENVER (AP) — Wyatt Johnston celebrated his upcoming 21st birthday with two goals, leading the Dallas Stars to a commanding 5-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4. The win pushes Colorado to the brink of elimination, with Dallas holding a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Dallas can close it out at home in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Johnston, who scored both short-handed and power-play goals, received high praise from Stars coach Pete DeBoer: “He was all over the rink. Just a fantastic young hockey player that’s going to be a cornerstone.” Miro Heiskanen, Evgenii Dadonov, and Sam Steel also scored for Dallas, while Jake Oettinger made 24 saves.
The Avalanche, missing key players Valeri Nichushkin and Devon Toews, struggled to find their footing. Nichushkin was suspended for six months, and Toews was a late scratch due to illness. Colorado’s lone goal came from Casey Mittelstadt in the second period. Coach Jared Bednar acknowledged the team’s lackluster start: “We looked frozen in the first period.”
Johnston’s performance included his 10th and 11th career playoff goals, making him the eighth player in NHL history to reach double-digit postseason goals at age 20 or younger. After the game, he was presented with a candy-bar cake to celebrate his birthday.
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Dallas forward Roope Hintz left the game with an upper-body injury, and Colorado goalie Alexandar Georgiev faced 29 shots. Despite the Avalanche’s strong home record during the regular season, they have lost both home games in this series.
Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano emphasized the team’s urgency: “We’ve got nothing to lose. You lay it on the line and see where the chips fall.” The Stars have outscored the Avalanche 6-0 in the first periods throughout the series, setting a dominant tone early on.
With the series returning to Dallas, the Stars aim to finish strong, but DeBoer remains cautious: “They’re not going to go down quietly. The next game is going to be the toughest to win.”
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