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Matt Duchene scores in double overtime as Dallas Stars oust Colorado Avalanche in Game 6
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- Matt Duchene scores in double overtime as Dallas Stars oust Colorado Avalanche in Game 6
The Dallas Stars lost a ruling on Mason Marchment 's apparent goal in overtime because of goalie interference by teammate Matt Duchene .
But Duchene made it count in the second overtime as the Stars defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in Game 6 Friday night and earned a second consecutive trip to the Western Conference final.
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Marchment's shot went in at 12:31 of the first overtime, but the on-ice officials ruled that Duchene had made contact with Colorado goalie Alexandar Georgiev . Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar pushed Duchene right before the puck went in. The NHL's Situation Room reviewed the play and confirmed no goal.
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There was no question on Duchene's goal. He picked up a loose puck and fired it past Georgiev at 11:42 of the second overtime.
"It can be a little tough to reset after you think it's over and hope it's over," Duchene told reporters. "It's kind of a gut punch a little bit, but that's kind of what we do, no matter what's thrown our way, we're a pretty even-keeled group. Everybody just reset and kept going."
Duchene had been bought out by the Nashville Predators during the offseason and signed a one-year deal with Dallas. He scored 25 goals during the regular season and has six points in the playoffs. It was the third playoff overtime goal of his career.
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Mikko Rantanen put the Avalanche ahead 1-0 in the second period with a power play goal and Stars captain Jamie Benn tied the game early in the third period, outracing two defenders and taking a pass from Evgenii Dadonov to break in alone and beat Georgiev.
The Stars reached the conference final last season, but lost to the eventual champion Vegas Golden Knights .
To get back, they beat the Golden Knights and the Avalanche, the last two Stanley Cup champions.
"It just shows a lot about the guys we have in there, the coaches and the game plan that we have," said Stars goalie Jake Oettinger , who made 29 saves to improve to 5-1 on the road this postseason. "I feel like we've been the better team in both series."
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What's next for the Dallas Stars ?
They will face the winner of the Edmonton Oilers - Vancouver Canucks series this time. Vancouver leads the series 3-2 with Game 6 in Edmonton on Saturday night (8 ET, ESPN).
The Stars will have home-ice advantage as the Western Conference's top seed. They went 2-1 against the Canucks and 2-0-1 against the Oilers .
What's next for the Colorado Avalanche ?
Rantanen is entering the final year of his contract and is eligible for an extension after July 1. Core players Nathan MacKinnon , Cale Makar and Devon Toews are locked in long term.
The Avalanche's list of potential unrestricted free agents is lengthy. Zach Parise is expected to retire. Jonathan Drouin had a strong season on his free agent deal and is a candidate for a new contract.
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Other UFAs are trade deadline acquisitions Sean Walker , Brandon Duhaime and Yakov Trenin , plus Andrew Cogliano , Jack Johnson and others. Casey Mittelstadt , acquired at the deadline to be Colorado's No. 2 center, is a restricted free agent.
Forward Valeri Nichushkin has been placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and is suspended for at least six months.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dallas Stars, Matt Duchene oust Colorado Avalanche in Game 6 overtime
