DENVER (AP) — Wyatt Johnston scored twice on the eve of his 21st birthday as the Dallas Stars pushed Colorado to the brink of elimination with a 5-1 win in Game 4 that came hours after Avalanche standout Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months.
Dallas can close it out at home in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Miro Heiskanen and Evgenii Dadonov also scored, while Sam Steel added an empty-net goal. Jake Oettinger made 24 saves.
Before the game, the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association announced that Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay.
