League-best Avalanche try to stem Stars’ push for first place

The playoffs don't begin for another month, but Wednesday night will have a postseason atmosphere when the Colorado Avalanche host the Dallas Stars in a matchup of the top teams in the NHL.

Colorado has led the league for most of the season but losing three of its last four allowed red-hot Dallas to cut the gap to three points. The Stars won 14 of 15 games before losing at home to the Utah Mammoth on Monday night, their first regulation loss since Jan. 22.

The Avalanche led Dallas by 12 points at that point, but now they are fighting for the Central Division title and home ice throughout the playoffs.

The Stars' one loss in the previous 15 games came March 6 in a shootout against the Avalanche, who tied it with 15 seconds left in regulation. That increased the Avalanche's lead to seven points, but things have tightened since.

Dallas had a chance to get within one point but gave up four goals in the third period to the Mammoth in a 6-3 loss. The Stars quickly shifted their focus to Wednesday's showdown.

"It's a lot like playoffs right now. You can't let one game affect the next," Stars captain Jamie Benn said. "It's about moving on quickly here and learning from this one. We've got a big game coming up here (against Colorado). We want to get two points against those guys every chance we can get. Looking forward to another big game here."

The Stars have surged despite the absences of Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz and Radek Faksa. Rantanen is the closest to returning but will be out until at least the end of March.

Colorado is also dealing with injuries to key players. Artturi Lehkonen (upper body), Gabriel Landeskog (lower body) and Ross Colton (upper body) won't play against Dallas, and their absences have disrupted the Avalanche's flow.

Nazem Kadri, acquired from the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline, has played wing on the first line with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas instead of his natural center position. Colorado dressed only 11 forwards for the past three games, losing the last two.

The Avalanche allowed a season high in goals Monday in a 7-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins scored three goals on their first five shots when Colorado was guilty of missed assignments in its own zone.

"The chemistry matters," said MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 45 goals and reached 110 points for the fourth straight season. "It's no one's fault. It's just different. New teams, and then a lot of different line combinations lately, for everybody. It's hard. It sounds like an excuse. (Monday) was just bad, too. We just played bad."

The Avalanche understand the importance of Wednesday night. Head coach Jared Bednar approached the recent game in Dallas with a playoff mindset, and the third of four meetings will be the same.

The teams finish the season series in Dallas on April 4.

"Everything's crucial right now," center Brock Nelson said. "We just (need) a little bounce-back."