Mental mistakes cost the Avs in Game 4, putting them in a 3-1 hole

The Avalanche had a chance to tie up their series with the Stars in Game 4 on Sunday night. But Colorado’s mental mistakes cost them their chance to take momentum back in the series.

Shortly after the five-minute mark of the first period, the Stars carried the puck into the Avs zone after both teams made a line change. A setup pass by Blake Comeau to Radek Faksa made its way to Pavel Francouz, who actually made the save. He knocked the puck down in front of him and dove on it to cover up the puck. It was a play that any NHL goaltender has made a thousand times.

But Francouz did not get his glove down in time to cover up the puck as John Klingberg crashed the net and poked the puck free. He proceeded to put his own rebound into the back of the net to take the lead for the Stars. Had Francouz dove in time to cover the puck, Klingberg never would’ve gotten a chance at it again. But he didn’t have a lot of help, either.

Nikita Zadorov and Cale Makar were a ways away from the net with Klingberg bearing down in it, and Nazem Kadri had his back to Klingberg as he skated right past him. So while the goal was mostly on Francouz for not getting to the cover fast enough, it was the men in front of him who let Frankie down.

The Stars took advantage of a power play a couple minutes later to go up 2-0. While I could argue that Kadri shouldn’t have been called for roughing in the first place, I will not. Kadri is the biggest pest on the team, and it is his job to rough up the opposing team. Sometimes, the refs call you for it. It’s hockey; it happens.

What should never happen is letting an opponent get in between you and the goal. That is exactly what happened between Zadorov and Faksa. The Stars goal scorer was screening Francouz as the puck went around the outside of the zone. Once the puck was passed to Roope Hintz on the point, Zadorov advanced on Hintz, leaving Faksa all alone in front of the net. Kevin Connaughton did have a choice shortly after Zadorov left his man, skating in between Corey Perry and Faksa, but Connaughton stuck with Perry until the shot came through to Faksa. More communication and more awareness of the situation should have led to either defenseman closer to Francouz and given him help.

Dallas would score another goal in the period to go up 3-0, before allowing the Avs to score two in the second to get within one. Then, the third period rolled around.

The Stars would score their fourth goal of the game on the power play after a Tyson Jost tripping call that could have been avoided, but as he was reaching for a puck, he might have had a chance at, I will let him slide. Roope Hintz would play mind games with the Avs, seeing J.T. Compher, and then Pierre Edouard Bellemare, dive in an attempt to block his shot, held on to the puck, hesitated briefly before shooting it into the net.

The goal the Avalanche cost themselves would come 32 seconds after the Hintz power play goal. After a clear in which both teams would make line changes, Francouz stopped the puck behind the net awaiting the oncoming Cale Makar. Francouz would head back to his net to set up for the next rush by the Avalanche. And in that split second, disaster happened.

Makar mishandled the puck, sending it in front of the net. Despite a warning shout from Makar, too brief to describe what happened, Francouz was just a little too slow on the uptake before a charging Denis Gurianov put the newly free puck in the back of the net, for what would turn out to be the game-winning goal.

Mental mistakes and miscommunication cost the Avs a chance to tie up the series and put the promising Stanley Cup contenders on the brink of elimination.