Blackwell scores 17:46 into OT as Stars beat Avalanche 4-3 to even 1st-round NHL playoffs series 1-1

DALLAS (AP) — Colin Blackwell scored 17:46 into overtime and the Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in Game 2 on Monday night to even up their first-round Western Conference series.

Blackwell initially took a shot that ricocheted off teammate Sam Steel and Avs defenseman Samuel Girard in front of the net. But with the puck rolling loose on the ice, the fourth-line forward circled around and knocked it in for the winner.

“It’s been a long season, and not playing the first game, stuff like that, just kind of been in and out of the lineup toward the end here,” Blackwell said. “I always felt my game’s kinda built for the playoffs and stuff along those lines. I love rising to the occasion and playing in moments like this.”

Tyler Seguin, Thomas Harley and Evgenii Dadonov also had goals for Dallas, which avoided losing the first two games at home in its opening-round series for the second year in a row. The Stars did open with their eighth consecutive Game 1 loss since 2022, after going into this postseason with a seven-game losing streak (0-5-2).

“Obviously it’s a fresh new season in the playoffs, but it’s been a little bit since we won a game,” Seguin said. “It’s almost like going through a slump. You’ve got to try to just break it and simplify. We did that tonight and have something great to build off of.”

Colorado had finished the final 1:26 of regulation and first 34 seconds of overtime on a power play after a hooking penalty against Mikko Rantenen, who the Avalanche traded on Jan. 24 to Carolina in the East, where he played only 13 games before getting traded March 7 back to the Central Division to Dallas and getting a new $96 million, eight-year contract.

Stars goalie Jake Oettinger stopped 34 shots. Mackenzie Blackwood had 35 saves in his second career playoff game, but the final shot went off his left shoulder.

Nathan MacKinnon scored on a power play for his third goal in this series for the Avalanche, and his 51st in the NHL playoffs. Jack Drury and Logan O’Connor also scored.

“Every time you lose a game that you play pretty good, you lose an opportunity to take control of a series,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said.

The series switches to Denver for Game 3 on Wednesday night, when there is a chance that Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog could play for the first time in nearly three years. His last game was June 26, 2022, when they beat Tampa Bay 2-1 in Game 6 to clinch the Stanley Cup, before a chronic right knee injury that led to two surgeries and multiple comeback attempts.

Landeskog was activated off injured reserve early Monday, but was a scratch for the game after being first Colorado skater to take the ice for pregame warmups. Bednar said the captain wanted to skate in warmups.

O’Connor had a go-ahead goal in the final minute of the second period with Mason Marchment draped around him for a 3-2 lead, not long after the Stars used a timeout in hopes of taking advantage of a short two-man advantage but coming up empty on nearly four minutes on the power play.

Dallas took an advantage with 4:48 left in the second period, and almost immediately Blackwood made a sliding kick save to deny Marchment. There was only seven seconds left on power play when Colorado got another penalty, and Stars coach Pete DeBoer called timeout. But Charlie Coyle won the ensuing faceoff for the Avs, and they quickly erased the two-man advantage.

Harley's goal 3:40 in the second period gave Dallas its first lead in the series, but 62 seconds later Drury’s goal tied the game at 2 with Rantanen right by him. Drury came to Colorado from Carolina as part of the initial trade that sent Rantanen to the Hurricanes.

The Stars matched MacKinnon’s goal with a power play in the final minute of the first period. Captain Jamie Benn skated behind the net, passed to Marchment in the middle of the right circle before he pushed the puck across to Seguin in the opposite circle for the slap shot.

Seguin was in only his third game since missing 58 games over 4 1/2 months because of left hip surgery. He returned for the regular season finale last Wednesday, and hadn't scored since the day after Thanksgiving.

“Honestly I think scoring a goal is almost like the last thing you almost kind of think of,” he said. “There’s so many things to getting back in the lineup that you’re thinking about, whether it’s your body or details of the game. And when you get a goal, that’s something again to build off of.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Dallas Stars players celebrate a game-winning goal by Colin Blackwell, not pictured, during overtime in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche early Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell, right, is congratulated by teammates center Tyler Seguin (91) and goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) after scoring the game-winning goal against the Colorado Avalanche during overtime in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series early Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

A shot by Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) gets by Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, right, for the game-winning goal during overtime in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series early Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) celebrates his game-winning goal with teammates defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin (46) and center Sam Steel (18) during overtime in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche early Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Stars right wing Evgenii Dadonov (63) sneaks the puck by Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (39) for a goal as left wing Joel Kiviranta (94) tries to defend during the third period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) competes for possession against Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas (88) during the first period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

A shot by Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin, not visible, gets by Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (39) for a power play goal during the first period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Ryan Lindgren, left, reacts after shot by teammate center Jack Drury, not visible, entered the net of Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, right, for a goal during the second period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) skates away from the puck after taking it from Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas during the first period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson, left, and Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) collide while competing for the puck during the first period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Stars players celebrate a power play goal by center Tyler Seguin, second from right, during the first period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche Monday, April 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas (88) and Dallas Stars center Sam Steel (18) compete for possession as referee Graham Skilliter (24) tries to get away during the first period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Colorado Avalanche players celebrate a goal by Logan O'Connor (25) as Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) skates on his crease during the second period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Colorado Avalanche right wing Logan O'Connor, bottom, reacts after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the second period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan police officer who killed a man with a shot to the back of the head testified in his own defense Friday, telling jurors at his second-degree murder trial that he was “running on fumes” and fearing for his life after losing his Taser during an intense fight.

“I believed that if I hadn’t done it at that time, I wasn’t going to go home,” said Christopher Schurr, who fired the single fatal shot as he pinned Patrick Lyoya facedown on the ground in an effort to subdue him.

Schurr, 34, wiped his eyes and sniffed as video from that day was played for the jurors. His testimony was his first public explanation of what happened following a routine traffic stop on a cold, rainy spring morning in Grand Rapids in 2022.

The shooting stunned the public after the Grand Rapids police chief released video of the killing, which was recorded by a man who was accompanying Lyoya that day. There also was police car video and images from Schurr's body camera.

Schurr told the jury that it was "important to get my side of the story out.”

Jurors must decide whether Schurr, who was patrolling alone, could have reasonably feared that he could suffer great bodily harm or be killed after Lyoya got control of his Taser, a weapon that fires electrically charged probes to temporarily subdue an aggressor.

Lyoya, a Black man, failed to produce a driver’s license after Schurr pulled him over for driving a car with a mismatched license plate. Then he ran, and the officer chased and tackled him. As they physically struggled to exhaustion for more than two minutes, Schurr was heard desperately asking for officers to rush to the scene.

“I’m running on fumes,” he explained to the jury.

Video shows the confrontation finally ended when Schurr fired into Lyoya’s head after repeatedly demanding that Lyoya stop resisting and give up the Taser, which the officer had lost control of in the fight.

It’s not known why Lyoya was trying to flee. Records show his driver’s license was revoked at the time and there was an arrest warrant for him in a domestic violence case, though Schurr didn’t know it. An autopsy revealed his blood-alcohol level was three times above the legal limit for driving, according to testimony.

During cross-examination, prosecutor Chris Becker tried to highlight inconsistencies between Schurr's testimony and his statements to investigators three years ago, particularly his physical condition at the time.

Becker also noted that the officer was on top of Lyoya before the fatal shot, suggesting that he had an advantage.

"He never said he was going to kill you, right? Never said he was going to hit you. Never said he was going to kick your butt or do anything bad to you,” the prosecutor said.

Schurr earlier testified that he had a Taser used on him during police training and knew it could cause "excruciating pain.”

“I shot him because I believed he was going to use it on me,” Schurr told Becker. “He started to turn up towards me. I felt if I didn't respond at that time, I wouldn't be here.”

“Sure, but he’s not here, is he?” Becker shot back, referring to Lyoya's death.

“No, he’s not,” Schurr replied.

Outside the courthouse Friday, a crowd waved “thin blue line” flags in support of Schurr while standing along a busy downtown street. Inside, his wife sat in a front row of the courtroom while Lyoya's parents, who brought their family to the U.S. from Congo in 2014, sat in a front row on the opposite side.

The jury late in the day also heard testimony from Lewis “Von” Kliem, a lawyer and former officer who analyzes instances of force across the U.S. He said Schurr’s decision to shoot Lyoya can be seen as reasonable “as tragic as it is.”

“What is particularly relevant is that Mr. Lyoya did not just take the (Taser) and throw it away. He took the weapon, transitioned hands and held it in a position capable of being utilized,” said Kliem, a defense witness.

Schurr was fired by city officials at the recommendation of police Chief Eric Winstrom after he was charged in 2022. At the time, Winstrom said his recommendation was based on video of the encounter, the prosecutor’s review of a state police investigation and Schurr’s interview with internal investigators.

The trial has mostly been a battle of experts.

Use-of-force experts testifying for the prosecutor said deadly force was not necessary to end the conflict. But several senior Grand Rapids officers, summoned by defense lawyers, said Schurr was at great risk when Lyoya got ahold of the Taser.

White reported from Detroit.

FILE - Patrick Lyoya's mother, Dorcas Lyoya, waits for the Michigan Court of Appeals hearing in the case against Christopher Schurr to begin in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (Cory Morse/MLive.com/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Michigan State Police bicycle unit joins Grand Rapids Police outside the Kent County Courthouse where the first day of trial began for former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr, who is charged in the 2022 killing of a Black motorist, Patrick Lyoya, in Grand Rapids, Mich., Monday, April 28, 2025. (Joel Bissell/MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

A video image provided by WOOD-TV of former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr taken by Jessica Beaudry, crime scene technician with Grand Rapids Police Department, is displayed on the first day of Schurr's trial, who is charged in the 2022 killing of a Black motorist, Patrick Lyoya, at the Kent County Courthouse, Monday, April 28, 2025, Grand Rapids, Mich. (WOOD-TV/Pool Photo/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

A video image provided by WOOD-TV shows former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr being tased during his police academy training, played for the jury during testimony in the first day of Schurr's murder trial for the 2022 killing of a Black motorist, Patrick Lyoya, at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Monday, April 28, 2025. (WOOD-TV/Pool Photo/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

The family of Patrick Lyoya and Kent County commissioner Robert Womack, right, arrive outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Monday, April 28, 2025. (Chris duMond/Detroit News via AP)

In this image taken from video from WOOD-TV, Kent County Prosecutor shows Aaron Tubergen, a detective sergeant with the Michigan State Police, the Taser of former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr, who is charged in the 2022 killing of a Black motorist, Patrick Lyoya, as he testifies during the first day of Schurr's murder trial at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Monday, April 28, 2025. (WOOD-TV, Pool Photo/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Members of the media watch as dash cam footage from former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr patrol vehicle is played for the jury during Schurr's murder trial in the 2022 killing of a Black motorist, Patrick Lyoya, at Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Monday, April 28, 2025. (Joel Bissell/MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker shows Bryan Chiles, senior manager of Axon Forensics, the Taser7 used by former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr on Patrick Lyoya during the second day of trial at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (WOOD-TV via AP, Pool)

Body worn camera footage showing former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr with a Taser7 and Patrick Lyoya is shown during the third day at the Kent County Courthouse with his wife Brandey in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr sits in court during the second day of his trial at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Schurr is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese immigrant during a traffic stop on April 4, 2022. (WOOD-TV via AP, Pool)