Matt Duchene scored at 11:42 of the second overtime and the Dallas Stars wrapped up their Western Conference semifinal series with a 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6 on Friday in Denver.
Duchene, who played his first nine NHL seasons for the Avalanche, picked up a rebound right of the crease and lifted a wrister over Alexandar Georgiev to send Dallas to the Western Conference finals.
The Stars will have home-ice advantage against either the Canucks or the Oilers in the next round. Vancouver holds a 3-2 edge in its best-of-seven set heading into Game 6 on Saturday at Edmonton.
Duchene atoned for his goaltender-interference infraction in the first overtime that wiped away a potential Mason Marchment goal at 12:31. He also had a chance to win it when he came in alone 25 seconds into the second overtime, but Georgiev made a lunging save.
Jamie Benn also scored and Jake Oettinger had 29 saves for the Stars, including two big ones in the second overtime.
Mikko Rantanen had a goal and Georgiev turned away 36 shots for the Avalanche, who lost all three home games in the series after having the best home record in the NHL during the regular season.
Both teams had chances in a tight-checking first period. Dallas winger Evgenii Dadonov’s backhander at a wide-open net went off the outside of the post. In the final minute, Colorado’s Artturi Lehkonen nearly scored on a rebound, but Oettinger got a pad on it and Dadonov kept it out of the net.
The Avalanche cashed in on their only power play when Rantanen roofed a shot over Oettinger’s left shoulder at 5:48 of the second period.
It was his fourth goal of the playoffs and the first time in the series the Avalanche scored first.
The Stars tied it at 1:56 of the third period. Benn got a pass from Dadonov as he skated down the slot, deked Georgiev and slid a backhand in for his third goal of the postseason.
Dallas was without top center Roope Hintz for the second straight game with an upper-body injury. Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist also was out, and Alexander Petrovic took his place on the third pairing.
Colorado was missing fourth-line center Yakov Trenin, who left Game 5 with an injury. Chris Wagner took his spot in the lineup.
–Field Level Media