The atmosphere inside the American Airlines Center on Saturday felt more like that of May than April. Things didn't go the team's way as the Dallas Stars lost to the Colorado Avalanche, 2-0, but as color commentator Erik Johnson said, "I don't think this will be the last time these teams will see each other."
The Avalanche have all but locked up the No. 1-seed in the Western Conference by virtue of leading the Stars by eight points in the Central Division. Dallas has five games remaining in the regular season, while the Avs have seven.
But Dallas has been a long shot for the division title since basically the second month of the season, as the Avalanche started the year like a house on fire. More importantly, the Stars need to hold off the third-place team in the Central, the Minnesota Wild, to ensure home-ice advantage for the first round of the postseason.
NHL Game Score Impact Card for Dallas Stars on 2026-04-04: pic.twitter.com/j1rn38h1z9
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) April 4, 2026
Saturday's game was as tight as could be. The Avalanche didn't score until the 10:39 mark of the third period when Martin Necas potted his 36th of the season. Nathan MacKinnon added an empty-netter to finish things off in the final minute. Up to that point, things were pretty much even. Defensive, too, as Colorado finished with 22 shots to Dallas' 17.
Just because it felt like playoffs doesn't mean it was entertaining, though. In some ways, it hearkened back to the 90s with its left-wing lock style of neutral-zone play. The dearth of shots made it less than entertaining. Entertainment, though, is irrelevant.
And it would be folly to take too much away from the result when considering the teams' postseason chances. Dallas remained without top-line center Roope Hintz and checking line center Radek Faksa, among others. Both should be available for the playoffs. Granted, Colorado missed all-world defenseman Cale Makar, too, but he was the only real absence the Avalanche had.
The reality is, Dallas, with largely the same roster as last year, has made three straight Western Conference Finals. One loss near the end of the regular season is hardly anything about which to get up in arms.
Now, that said, beating Calgary on Tuesday is paramount, as is earning at least a point against the Wild on Thursday. At that point, everyone can recalibrate for the final three games against the Rangers, Maple Leafs, and Sabres and let the chips fall.
For the time being, chalk Saturday's matinee up to a moderate playoff preview.