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.

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.

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.