Erik Johnson

It was a crucial encounter at the American Airlines Center in Texas as the Stars welcomed the Colorado Avalanche. Just a point separated the 2 sides going into the game, both sat just outside the very tight playoff picture.

The Stars landed in Dallas on the morning of the Avs game after travelling out West to face the Ducks and the Kings, where they took 1 win away. Luckily for the Stars, Colorado’s star centre Matt Duchene, who caused a lot of problems earlier in the season, was out of the line-up.

You could tell that the Stars had landed in Dallas several hours prior to face-off as they showed poor puck control and retention, and struggled to match up to the Avs' p...