Schedule and 2005-06 Results
Regular Season Records: Dallas 53-23-6=112pts, Colorado 43-30-9=95pts
Game 1 on Saturday, 22 April: Colorado wins at Dallas, 5-goals-2
Game 2 on Monday, 24 April: Colorado wins at Dallas, 5-goals-4 (OT)
Game 3 on Wednesday, 26 April: Dallas loses at Colorado, 4-goals-3 (OT)
Game 4 on Friday, 28 April: Dallas wins at Colorado, 4-goals-1
Game 5 on Sunday, 30 April: Colorado wins at Dallas, 3-goals-2 (OT)

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: Scoring in the first overtime period, the Colorado Avalanche visited and defeated the Dallas Stars 3-goals-2 to win best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 962, 4-games-1. The series win improves the Colorado Avalanche best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 18-7. The series loss diminishes the Dallas Stars best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 12-9. The win order for the victorious Avalanche in series 962 was WWWLW. Series 962 thus becomes the 12th NHL Preliminary-round series, the 36th NHL series (all rounds), and the 63rd MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow the WWWLW win order.

After Game 4: The Dallas Stars visited and defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-goals-1 to reduce the Colorado best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 962 lead to 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Colorado Avalanche have an 8-2 series record. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Dallas Stars have a 0-6 series record.

After Game 3: The Colorado Avalanche hosted and defeated the Dallas Stars 4-goals-3 in overtime to take a 3-games-nil best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 962 lead. When leading an NHL best-of-7 playoff series three-games-nil, the Colorado Avalanche have a 3-0 series record. When trailing an NHL best-of-7 playoff series three-games-nil, the Dallas Stars have a 0-2 series record. Dallas led Game 3 by one goal until Colorado tied the game with 57 seconds left in regulation. In the history of best-of-7 format NHL playoff games from 1939 through 2004, teams such as Colorado trailing by a goal on home ice with 58 seconds remaining in regulation had only a 12-342 (.034) game record.

After Game 2: The Colorado Avalanche visited and defeated the Dallas Stars 5-goals-4 in overtime, thus taking a 2-games-nil lead in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 962. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Colorado Avalanche have an 11-0 series record. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Dallas Stars have a 0-5 series record. In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff series from 1939 through 2004, only ten times had the road team tallied the first three goals only to have the home team score the next four: In those ten games, the home team proceeded to win each and every time. On 24 April 2006, however, not only the Colorado Avalanche but also the Montreal Canadiens secured road wins in this situation. In series 958 Game 2, Montreal scored the first three goals of the game in Carolina, but the Hurricanes rallied for the next four goals ... only to have Montreal eventually win the game. In series 962 Game 2, Colorado likewise scored the first three goals of the game in Dallas, but the Stars rallied for the next four goals ... only to have Colorado eventually win the game.

After Game 1: The Colorado Avalanche visited and defeated the Dallas Stars 5-goals-2 to take a 1-game-nil lead in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 962. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Colorado Avalanche have a 13-3 series record with a five-series winning streak. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Dallas Stars have a 4-7 series record.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2005-06 regular season, Dallas finished 17 points ahead of Colorado. From 1939 through the 2005 MLB Finals, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 17 regular-season points, they have posted a 9-1 (.900) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents, with an active seven-series winning streak. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 962 is the 25th best-of-7 playoff series for Colorado, and the 21st for Dallas. In best-of-7 playoff series, Colorado has a 17-7 series record, a 7-2 Prelim-round series record, and a 16-8 Game 1 record, while Dallas has a 12-8 series record, a 6-3 Prelim-round record, and a 9-11 Game 1 record. Series 962 is the fourth best-of-7 meeting between Colorado and Dallas: Colorado won best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series 913 over Dallas in the 2004 NHL Preliminary round; Dallas won series 786 (in the 1999 NHL Semifinals) and 811 (in the 2000 NHL Semifinals) over Colorado.