DENVER — Gabriel Landeskog scored twice, including the winner with 3:20 remaining, Mikko Rantanen added two more on the power play and the Colorado Avalanche recovered after blowing a three-goal lead and beat the Dallas Stars 6-4 on Saturday night.
Landeskog, Matt Calvert and Rantanen staked Colorado to a 3-0 lead during a first period in which the Avalanche had two goals disallowed due to goaltender interference.
Esa Lindell and Tyler Seguin brought Dallas back by scoring 44 seconds apart in the middle period. Seguin added another in the third and Jamie Benn tied it with 4:36 left.
Landeskog’s winner was a redirect after a shot by defenceman Erik Johnson from the blue line. Nathan MacKinnon sealed the win with an empty-net goal. MacKinnon also had three assists to help the Avs snap a three-game skid that included an overtime loss in St. Louis on Friday.
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov and center Nathan MacKinnon right wing Mikko Rantanen (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
Rantanen had two goals and an assist in extending his point streak to 14 straight games. The Finnish forward’s point streak ties MacKinnon (last season) and Joe Sakic (2000) for third-longest since the team moved to town in 1995-96.
Pulled from his last two starts, Semyon Varlamov found his groove early, staggered in the second and then made several big saves in the third period. Varlamov has allowed 18 goals over his last four games.
Ben Bishop gave the Stars a boost in goal after taking over for starter Anton Khudobin following the opening period. Bishop finished with 14 saves.
The Stars finished winless on a four-game trip.
Trailing 3-0 midway through the second period, Lindell scored a short-handed goal and Seguin followed with another over a sprawled-out Varlamov.
Rantanen has a league-leading 56 points this season.
Landeskog scored his 20th goal of the season on a power play early in the first period. Moments later, Calvert added another when Dallas turned the puck over deep in its zone.
Colorado nearly broke the game open, but Colin Wilson’s goal was disallowed on review for goaltender interference when A.J. Greer and a Dallas defenceman crashed into Khudobin.
Carl Soderberg also had a goal overturned for bumping into Khudobin.
NOTES: The Stars recalled F Denis Gurianov from Texas of the AHL on Friday. … Colorado F Alexander Kerfoot missed a third straight game with an upper body injury. … Avalanche F J.T. Compher banged his head into the boards after a third-period hit from defenceman Julius Honka.
UP NEXT
Stars: Host Calgary on Tuesday night.
Avalanche: Host the New York Islanders on Monday night in the second of a four-game homestand.
___
More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Pat Graham, The Associated Press
