Game 7 was in the Avalanche’s hands Friday, with Vladislav Namestnikov second goal of the contest giving Colorado the lead with just 3:40 remaining in regulation.
And then the Game 7 curse came on, the Avs lost their fifth straight in a do-or-die situation since 2002.
Dallas Stars forward Joel Kiviranta scored the last goal in regulation and the first in overtime of Game 7 to complete his hat trick and end the Avalanche’s season.
Kiviranta one-timed a behind-the-net feed from Andrej Sekera at 7:24 to give Dallas a 5-4 victory and advance to the Western Conference finals.