Martin Necas scored with 9:21 left within the sport, because the visiting Colorado Avalanche blanked the Dallas Stars, 2-0, on Saturday.
Nathan MacKinnon added his NHL-leading 51st purpose with 58 seconds remaining.
The highest two groups within the Central Division and the Western Convention cut up 4 conferences this season. This was the primary outcome that didn’t require a shootout.
Necas’s winner got here off assists from Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews. The Avalanche saved the puck within the zone off a failed Dallas clear. Toews despatched the puck into the center to Lehkonen, who labored into some house in the course of the ice earlier than discovering Necas on the again doorstep for the simple tap-in.
Necas’s purpose was his thirty sixth of the season, a profession excessive. His 14 targets for the reason that Olympics break are tied for second within the league. Toews’s help was the three hundredth level of his profession.
It was the fifth straight highway win for Colorado (50-15-10, 110 factors), which is on the verge of clinching the Presidents’ Trophy. It was additionally a superb response, notably defensively, to a sloppy 8-6 residence defeat to Vancouver on Wednesday.
Scott Wedgewood made 17 saves for his third shutout of the season. He got here into the sport with an NHL-leading 2.19 targets in opposition to common and .916 save share and improved to 28-6-6.
For Dallas (45-20-12, 102 factors), which fell to 3-6-2 since a 14-0-1 run skyrocketed them up the standings, Casey DeSmith matched Wedgewood save for save via two and a half intervals. He made 20 stops, however fell to 0-4-1 in his final 5.
MacKinnon offered insurance coverage with an empty-netter. He is third within the league with 122 factors. Necas assisted, giving him a career-high 58 assists and 94 factors.
Colorado defenseman Brent Burns grew to become simply the second NHL participant ever, and first blueliner, to play 1,000 consecutive video games. The 2017 Norris Trophy winner, whereas with San Jose, Burns has not missed a sport in 12 years and 138 days, relationship again to November 17, 2013.
–Discipline Stage Media
