The Avalanche's hopes of returning to the Stanley Cup ended late Friday night, as they went down 2-1 in second overtime to the Dallas Stars.
Former Av's player Matt Duchene scored the game-winning goal to allow the Dallas Stars to advance to the Western Conference final
Duchene, who started his professional career in Denver, secured a loose puck in front of the net and sent it over a sprawled out Alexandar Georgiev. Duchene took off down the ice and slid on his knees in celebration.
Dallas will face either Edmonton or Vancouver next. It’s the second straight trip to the conference final for the Stars, who lost last season to eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas. The Stars won their only Stanley Cup title in 1999.
This was a series in which the road team won five of six games, including the Stars taking all three in Denver. The Avalanche were the top home team in the regular season, while the Stars had the best road record.
After winning the Stanley Cup two years ago, the Avalanche ended this season 50-25-7.
