Johnston gave the Stars a 1-0 lead nine seconds into the first. Off the opening face-off, he chased down a dump-in to the right of the net and scored with a sharp-angled shot that deflected in off the side of Blackwood. The goal is tied for the fifth-fastest to begin a game in Stanley Cup Playoff history.

It would be hard not to compare and contrast the current state of the Avalanche to what the organization faced after Game 4 against the Dallas Stars a season ago.

The longtime rivals’ first-round series is knotted at 2-2 after the Avs bounced back from two straight OT losses with a statement Game 4 win in which the Stars were blanked on the scoreboard and fell 4-0. The series now returns to Dallas and the confines of the American Airlines Center.