Nathan MacKinnon was bloodied after another fight and the intensity was raised. And it’s October, not May.
The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars mixed it up Tuesday night in Texas in what had a playoff feel just six games into the 2026-27 season, and Colorado came away with a 3-2 victory. It was the first of a home-and-home set that continues Wednesday night in Denver.
Scott Wedgewood will be in net for Colorado for the second time this season, and Dallas is expected to go with Casey DeSmith in goal.
Tuesday night was filled with high-quality chances in the first meeting of the season between the Central Division rivals. MacKinnon, the high-scoring center who normally leaves the fisticuffs to others, dropped the gloves with Roope Hintz early in the second period and suffered a cut on the bridge of his nose.
It was the second time this season MacKinnon has fought after not getting into one in a couple of years, but he did some damage on the offensive end with a pair of assists. It helped the Avalanche, who played without defenseman Cale Makar and forward Zachary L’Heureux on Tuesday night.
Makar was away from the team to be with his wife, who was expecting twins, and L’Heureux was a late scratch due to an upper-body injury. It forced Colorado to play with just 17 skaters — 11 forwards and six defensemen — but will have the full complement of players even if the pair is still out.
The Avalanche also will be on equal footing with Dallas in regards to rest.
“You’re not playing a rested team. That’s advantageous,” Colorado head coach Jared Bednar said. “So if you’re tired, you’re both tired. It’s a fun little challenge, too. Playoff time, you’re playing the same team over and over again in a seven-game series, and I think you learn things from that. You can try and implement it the next night and see how the guys handle it.”
The Stars, who have lost two straight, were also short-handed Tuesday night when center Wyatt Johnston was scratched due to an illness, and they continue to play without winger Joel Kiviranta, who has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury.
It was also announced Monday that center Matt Duchene underwent core muscle surgery and will miss at least three months.
Dallas does have plenty of talent, and having Tyler Seguin back helps. He scored his first goal of the season in Pittsburgh on Saturday night and got another one Tuesday night.
While Makar, twice awarded the Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman, deservedly gets a lot of attention, the Stars also have a talented defenseman in Miro Heiskanen. The 27-year-old assisted on both Dallas goals in Tuesday night’s loss while logging more than 25 minutes of ice time.
“It’s kind of like a point guard or a quarterback, he controls the game,” captain Jamie Benn said. “He sees the play, carries the puck and controls the game that way. The game is so fast, but the great players make it look so easy. You can say they slow it down, but they are skating so fast. It’s slow to them.”