Cale Makar’s double push Avalanche to Game 5 victory over Stars

Defenseman Cale Makar scored twice on Wednesday, leading the visiting Colorado Avalanche to a 5-3 victory over the Dallas Stars, thus staving off elimination in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series. The Stars still hold a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, with Game 6 set for Friday in Denver.

Colorado’s Artturi Lehkonen and Nathan MacKinnon each contributed a goal and an assist, while Casey Mittelstadt also found the back of the net. Goalie Alexandar Georgiev made 23 saves, helping the Avalanche snap a three-game losing streak.

Joe Pavelski recorded a goal and an assist for the Stars, with Miro Heiskanen and Logan Stankoven also scoring. Jason Robertson added two assists, and Jake Oettinger stopped 22 shots for Dallas. The Stars played without three-time 30-goal scorer Roope Hintz, which added to their challenges in this critical game.

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With the series shifting back to Denver, the Avalanche will look to build on this momentum and force a decisive Game 7.