This day in Avalanche history: Sakic’s three points power Avs to 3-2 lead over Dallas

On this day 26 years ago, Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg both had three points as the Colorado Avalanche went on the road and beat the Dallas Stars to take a 3-2 lead in the Conference Finals

BY TRENT FINNEGAN

May 30, 2025, 1:38 PM

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The 1999 Western Conference finals were a back-and-forth heavyweight battle between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars as Colorado was looking to win its second Stanley Cup in four years. After a gusty overtime win at home in Game 4, Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, and the rest of the burgundy and blue had to go on the road in Dallas to take back home-ice advantage.

Game 5 was 26 years ago today, and it was one to remember for the Avalanche. The physicality was ramped up a couple notches, the pucks were flying into the back of the net and the referees were staying busy all night with 11 total penalties between the two sides. Dallas’ crowd turned Reunion Arena into one of the most hostile buildings in the world as Colorado fought as hard as they could to snag a second win on the road in three games.

The Avs quickly took the lead just three and a half minutes into the game before the Stars answered with two goals of their own to snatch the lead back. Just before the horn sounded for the first intermission, Colorado knotted the game at two goals a piece. The first period saw seven penalties alone.

After Dallas took a 3-2 lead early in the second, the Avalanche did what that team did best, silenced the crowd, and took a 4-3 lead into the second intermission. The lead blossomed to two goals again in the third before Dallas equalized the game with a pair of goals that were a total gut-punch to the Avalanche.

From that point on, Patrick Roy locked in and didn’t let another puck get past him between the pipes. Chris Drury found a bouncing puck right in front of a wide open net after a shot by Sakic was saved, and put what would be the game-winning goal in the back of the net. An empty-netter from Forsberg with under a minute to play made the score 7-5 and put the game away for good as the Avs regained home-ice in one of the most chaotic games in those playoffs.

Sakic and Forsberg each finished the game with three points, while Valeri Kamensky also had three of his own in a dominant offensive performance by Colorado that saw eight players record a point.

Despite the win and regaining home ice, Colorado was not able to seal the deal as Dallas came back from a 3-2 deficit to win the Western Conference and eventually the Stanley Cup as well. However, that’s the last time they have won the cup, while the Avs have secured two more titles since then.

That meeting was the first time the two franchised squared up against each other in the postseason. Colorado has just a 2-5 record against Dallas in the postseason, including the loss this year after blowing a two-goal lead in Game 7.

Watch the highlights of the 1999 thriller here.