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DALLAS — Colorado finally got to play with the lead against the Dallas Stars, though the Avalanche are still behind in the Western Conference semifinal series.

Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar scored two goals, the second after Casey Mittelstadt‘s go-ahead tally in the third period, and they beat top-seeded Dallas 5-3 in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

The Avs snapped their three-game losing streak and extended the series, which Dallas leads 3-2.

“Obviously, a do-or-die game from here on out in the series,” Makar said. “Each of us, we feed off each other.

“And I felt like we were back to kind of like forcing their hand tonight.”

When Mittelstadt scored just 1:12 into the third period to make it 3-2, it was the first time the Avalanche had led in a game this series, except for when Miles Wood scored 11 minutes into overtime to win the opener.

“It was great,” league MVP finalist Nathan MacKinnon said about Colorado playing with a lead. “They didn’t do that much, but anytime we can get a lead, it’s important, so we’re not chasing all series.”

Makar made it 4-2 with an unassisted goal just over three minutes later. His shot from the middle of the right circle went through the legs of goalie Jake Oettinger and proved to be the deciding goal, and MacKinnon scored on a lone assist from Artturi Lehkonen with 3:10 left.

MacKinnon also had the only assist on Lehkonen’s power-play goal in the last second of the first period.

“We knew we were going to get their best game in the series, and they did,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “Their big guys all are on the scoresheet tonight, which we’ve probably anticipated would happen.”

Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev had 23 saves. Oettinger stopped 22 shots.

Joe Pavelski had his first goal and his second assist of the postseason for the Stars. Miro Heiskanen and rookie Logan Stankoven also scored for Dallas, and Jason Robertson had two assists.

Game 6 is set for Friday night in Denver, where the Stars outscored the Avs 9-2 while winning Games 3 and 4. Dallas is 4-1 on the road this postseason — and 3-4 at home.

It was the sixth time in franchise history that the Avs won Game 5 after falling behind 3-1 in a best-of-seven series, but they have never come back to win the series.

After going 0-for-8 on power plays while losing the previous three games, Colorado scored tying goals on both of its opportunities with a man advantage in the first two periods.

“I felt like once we were getting pucks, it was right on and off the stick and trying to avoid a little bit of the pressure,” Makar said when asked what changed in Game 5. “Having that different mentality, an attack mentality, and not trying to back down or trying to look for the perfect play.”

Makar got his power-play goal on a 50-foot wrister through a bunch of traffic in front of the net with 3½ minutes left in the second period to tie the score at 2-2.

“Tough go for a handful of games … it’s a huge response after goal one, after goal two,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said.

Mittelstadt’s go-ahead goal came after Zach Parise hit the puck across the crease and Mittelstadt knocked it in, a ricochet off the right post that hit the back of Oettinger’s leg and went in.

Pavelski scored on a backhander from just outside the crease after a pass from Matt Duchene midway through the first period, after Robertson had poked the puck away from defenseman Josh Manson.

After 14 games without a goal, including the last three games of the regular season, Pavelski got his 74th career playoff goal to extend his record for the most by a U.S-born player. That is also the most by any active player.

Colorado got even at 1-1 with 0.6 seconds left in the first period on Lehkonen’s slap shot from the top of the slot.

“You’ve got to get out of the period there,” DeBoer said.

Heiskanen scored his fourth goal in this series — and his fifth of the playoffs — to put Dallas up 2-1 in the second. He dropped the puck back to Pavelski, who passed ahead to Robertson, who made a move toward the right side of the net before a nifty crossing pass to Heiskanen on the other side of Georgiev on a power play.

Rantanen had the secondary assist on Makar’s first goal for his 100th career playoff point (33 goals and 67 assists). It came in his 80th career postseason game, making Rantanen only the eighth NHL player to reach that milestone in that many games or fewer. He is only the fourth player in Avalanche franchise history to reach 100 playoff points; Joe Sakic’s 188 tops that list.

It was Bednar’s 49th playoff victory, matching Bob Hartley for the most in franchise history. Both have led the Avalanche to Stanley Cup titles, Hartley in 2001 then Bednar in their next one, in 2022.

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Daytona 500 stopped by rain after just 11 laps

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Daytona 500 stopped by rain after just 11 laps

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Rain has stopped the Daytona 500 on Sunday after 11 laps, not long after President Donald Trump in his heavily armored presidential limousine known in Washington as “The Beast” led the drivers on two laps around the track.

The caution flag came out with defending Daytona 500 champion William Byron out front.

Rain started falling in Turns 1 and 2, the West side of the 2½-mile Daytona International Speedway.

Trump spoke to the drivers as he led them through several ceremonial laps.

“This is your favorite president. I’m a big fan. I am a really big fan of you people,” Trump told the drivers. “How you do this I don’t know, but I just want you to be safe. You’re talented people and you’re great people and great Americans. Have a good day, have a lot of fun and I’ll see you later.”

Trump left the track during the rain delay and returned to Air Force One to head back to West Palm Beach, Florida, where he’s staying for the weekend.

Before it landed prior to the race, Air Force One buzzed the Daytona International Speedway. Trump traveled from West Palm Beach with several guests, including his son Eric.

NASCAR officials this week moved up the start time for Sunday’s race by 70 minutes because of potential rain. Inclement weather is expected to be in the area between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. ET, with forecasts showing 99% chance of rain. And since it takes roughly two hours to dry the track, it could be 7 p.m. before the race resumes.

“Captain America” actor Anthony Mackie gave the command for drivers to start their engines.

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Irish jockey O’Sullivan, 24, dies after Thurles fall

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Irish jockey O'Sullivan, 24, dies after Thurles fall

Irish jockey Michael O’Sullivan died on Sunday, 10 days after sustaining injuries in a fall at Thurles Racecourse in Ireland, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) said.

O’Sullivan, aged 24, who has ridden 90 winners in Ireland and five in Britain, and his mount Wee Charlie were one of three fallers at the final fence in the second race on the Feb. 6 card.

O’Sullivan was treated on the course before being airlifted to hospital, where he was placed in intensive care.

“Michael sadly passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning surrounded by his loving family in Cork University Hospital,” Dr Jennifer Pugh, Chief Medical Officer of the IHRB, said in a statement.

His family took the decision to donate his organs, Pugh said.

“I have had the privilege of knowing Michael through his amateur and professional career and his dedication, modesty and kind nature always made him a pleasure to be around,” Pugh added.

“The O’Sullivan family have asked for privacy at this time.”

O’Sullivan turned professional in 2022 and he won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Fred Winter at Cheltenham the following year.

“Michael was an exceptionally talented young rider who was always popular in the weighroom and will be deeply missed by everyone in racing who had the pleasure of knowing him,” Darragh O’Loughlin, chief executive of the IHRB, said.

As a mark of respect, Sunday’s fixture at Punchestown and the point-to-point fixtures in Ireland have been cancelled.

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Granlund OT goal gives Finland 1st 4 Nations win

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Granlund OT goal gives Finland 1st 4 Nations win

MONTREAL — Mikael Granlund scored the overtime winner, and Finland beat Sweden 4-3 Saturday in an instant classic, back-and-forth game between the bitter rivals at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Granlund scored 1:49 into 3-on-3 OT, sending fans in Finland’s blue and white at Bell Centre to the exits cheering and chanting, “Suomi!”

“It’s always great to beat Sweden,” Granlund said in his postgame media availability.

Anton Lundell and Mikko Rantanen also scored for Finland, and Kevin Lankinen made 21 saves in his debut at the NHL-run international tournament, including a pad stop on Mika Zibanejad seconds into overtime. Coach Antti Pennanen switched from Juuse Saros to Lankinen after his team lost 6-1 to the United States on Thursday night.

“I don’t think we needed to do much, we knew that there was a lot of good things we did in the game against USA,” Finland captain Aleksander Barkov said in his postgame interview on SportsNet. “Obviously, the result, 6-1, was not great, it did not look good. But I thought we did a lot of good things. And same thing today.”

Knocking off Sweden puts the Finns right back in it with one game for them left in round-robin play. The top two teams among the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland meet in the championship game next week in Boston.

Despite goals from Zibanejad and Rasmus Dahlin, the Swedes are in trouble and now might need some help to make the final. Filip Gustavsson was pulled after allowing two goals on four shots in the first period, and Linus Ullmark allowed two on 17 the rest of the way.

Finland also has a potential injury situation to monitor after Barkov came up limping from blocking a shot late in the second. The reigning Stanley Cup champion from the Florida Panthers continued playing through it.

“We got a little better, and played for a full 60-something minutes,” Barkov said. “We knew, playing against Sweden, even if it’s 4 a.m., it doesn’t matter. Everyone is going to be fired up. We came out hard, and we played really well.”

The U.S. faces Canada on Saturday night in the most anticipated game in Montreal, but Sweden and Finland put on quite the show in the matinee. Facing off 19 years after Sweden defeated Finland in the 2006 Olympic gold medal game in Turin, this time the Finns were on the winning end of an entertaining game featuring a blend of speed, skill and physicality — and some pushing and shoving after the whistles, which was expected of players from countries that do not like each other.

The tournament shifts to Boston, where Finland faces Canada on Monday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET and Sweden plays the United States at 8 p.m.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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