Avalanche force Game 7 with victory over Stars

Nathan MacKinnon notched a goal and an assist as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Dallas Stars 4-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series Wednesday night to stave off elimination and force Game 7.

Avalanche goaltender Michael Hutchinson bounced back after allowing a soft goal early in the contest. The 30-year-old stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced and earned his second straight playoff victory in only the netminder's second career postseason start.

Nikita Zadorov, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen also scored for Colorado. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog left with an apparent leg injury late in the second period, but he returned for one shift in the third.

Miro Heiskanen opened the scoring with the Stars' lone tally less than three minutes into the game.

Game 7 is scheduled for Friday at a start time to be determined.