Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Starting in Dallas
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Blackwood will guard the road goal against the Stars on Monday in Game 5, per Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now.
Blackwood stopped 23 shots in Saturday's 4-0 win over Dallas to earn his first NHL playoff shutout. He has a 2-2 record with a 1.60 GAA and a league-leading .939 save percentage this postseason. Dallas sits seventh in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 28.5 shots per game.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Ruled out against Stars
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Colton (lower body) will not be an option versus Dallas in Game 5 on Monday, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports.
Colton has appeared in just one of the Avalanche's last eight contests due to his lower-body injury. During the regular season, the New Jersey native came up just one point shy of reaching the 30-point threshold for the fourth straight year, ending the campaign with 16 goals and 13 helpers in 61 contests. Once given the all-clear, Colton should slot into a bottom-six role for Colorado.
Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Snags assist with man advantage
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Drouin logged a power-play assist in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4.
Drouin is up to three helpers, all on the power play, over four playoff contests. However, his outlook is dimming -- he was bumped down to the third line Saturday and saw a team-low 9:53 of ice time, while Gabriel Landeskog moved into the top six and took over Drouin's spot on the first power-play unit. Drouin has added four shots on net, three hits, three blocked shots and a minus-2 rating. He's struggled at times when the Avalanche were healthy and he saw less time, so this move doesn't bode well for his short-term production.
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Avalanche's Devon Toews: Bags apple in win
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Toews logged a power-play assist and two PIM in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4.
Toews set up Nathan MacKinnon's goal late in the first period. Through four playoff games, Toews has two points, four shots on net, two hits, 12 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating. The 31-year-old will continue to focus on defense and chip in offense when he can while playing a massive role on the Avalanche's top pairing.
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Avalanche's Brock Nelson: Supplies two helpers in win
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Nelson logged two assists, three shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4.
Nelson set up goals by Gabriel Landeskog and Samuel Girard. This ended a four-game slump for Nelson, who had been fairly quiet in a second-line role this postseason, though the addition of Landeskog on his wing could be beneficial for both players. Nelson has picked up nine shots on net, six hits, nine blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over four playoff contests.
Girard scored a goal on three shots and added three hits in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4.
Girard scored midway through the third period to produce the final score. The 26-year-old defenseman has impressed in the postseason, earning a goal, two assists, six shots on net, seven hits, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over four contests. He's playing on the second pairing and has enough talent to continue to be a decent depth scorer on the blue line.
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Avalanche's Logan O'Connor: Nets shortie in Game 4
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O'Connor scored a shorthanded goal on two shots, doled out four hits and added two PIM in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4.
O'Connor capitalized on a miscue and scored on a shorthanded rush at 12:39 of the first period. His goal was ultimately all the Avalanche needed for the win. While he's been in a bottom-six role for the playoffs, O'Connor has elevated his game with two goals, three assists, four shots on net, eight hits and a plus-5 rating over four contests.
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Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon: Pots power-play goal in win
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MacKinnon scored a power-play goal on four shots and added three hits in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4.
MacKinnon doubled the Avalanche's lead to 2-0 late in the first period, and they carried the momentum the rest of the way. The 29-year-old has four goals, one assist, 24 shots on net, eight hits and a plus-2 rating over four playoff contests. Three of his tallies have come with the man advantage as he continues to be the focal point of Colorado's attack.
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Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog: Nets first NHL goal since 2022
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Landeskog scored a goal on three shots, dished an assist, added two hits and went plus-2 in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4.
Landeskog didn't record a point or a shot across 13:16 of ice time in his return to the Avalanche on Wednesday, but his second NHL game back from a nearly three-year absence due to a knee injury went differently. He scored at 13:10 of the second period and then assisted on a Samuel Girard tally in the third. Landeskog was up on the second line Saturday and saw 14:37 of ice time, bumping Jonathan Drouin onto the third line. Landeskog is still being eased in, but the 32-year-old is looking up for the challenge so far in arguably one of the most intense first-round series.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Earns shutout in Game 4 win
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Blackwood posted a 23-save shutout in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4.
The Avalanche played a superb game, making Blackwood's job fairly easy. It took him just four playoff appearances to earn his first shutout in postseason play. The 28-year-old has given up seven goals on 114 shots over four games in the first round, so he's arguably unlucky to be 2-2 in those contests, though both losses have come past regulation time. Blackwood will undoubtedly get the nod again for a pivotal Game 5 in Dallas on Monday.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Slated to start Saturday
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Blackwood is expected to start Saturday's home matchup against Dallas in Game 4, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.
Blackwood has lost his last two outings in overtime but stopped 61 of 67 shots. He has a 1-2 record with a 2.07 GAA and a .923 save percentage through three games this postseason. Dallas ranks third in the playoffs with 30.3 shots per game.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Remains out Saturday
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Colton (lower body) won't play in Saturday's Game 4 matchup against the Stars, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.
Colton will miss his third game after suffering the injury in the series opener, and it's unclear when he will be ready to return to the lineup. Once Colton is healthy, Parker Kelly might be a healthy scratch.
Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog: Doles out six hits in return
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Landeskog racked up six hits and a blocked shot in 13:16 of ice time in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Stars in Game 3.
Landeskog's return from missing three full regular seasons saw him fill a third-line role in Game 3. The 32-year-old led the game with six hits, and if he's to remain deeper in the lineup, it won't be surprising for him to continue to play physical. The offense could be another story, as he'll have to get his timing back and may end up with limited minutes to stay healthy. Fantasy managers looking to utilize Landeskog this postseason should temper their expectations for his production.
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Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Earns assist in playoff debut
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Malinski notched an assist in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Stars in Game 3.
This was Malinski's playoff debut after he sat out the first two games of the series in Dallas. He was still limited to 12:23 of ice time, but he was able to help out on a Valeri Nichushkin tally in the first period. Malinski had 15 points over 76 regular-season contests, but he earned three of those points over his last five outings of the campaign, so he may be able to build a little momentum if he stays in the lineup over Erik Johnson and Keaton Middleton.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Draws assist in loss
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Girard notched an assist in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Stars in Game 3.
Girard set up a Valeri Nichushkin tally in the first period. The helper was Girard's second assist over three playoff contests, and he's added a plus-1 rating, three shots on net, four hits and two blocked shots. The 26-year-old blueliner continues to fill a bottom-four role with power-play time. He may continue to chip in depth offense but is unlikely to be a leader in that area for the Avalanche.
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