DALLAS — Wyatt Johnston scored off the opening draw just nine seconds into the game, and the Dallas Stars never looked back as they handled the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Dallas added goals by Thomas Harley in the final minute of the first period, and by former Av Mikko Rantanen just over a minute into the second to take a three-goal lead.
Artturi Lehkonen and Nathan MacKinnon would both find the back of the net midway through the second to briefly narrow the deficit to a single goal, but a Stars power play yielded Johnston's second goal of the night minutes later. A Mason Marchment goal with 88 seconds to play in the second put Dallas back up by three goals.
Roope Hintz's empty-netter capped the scoring for Dallas.
Rantanen, who had just one point and a minus-4 plus/minus through the first four games of the season, had two assists on top of his goal Monday night.
The series returns to Ball Arena on Thursday for Game 6.
