Mason Marchment sneaks a punch on Cale Makar in Game 6

In a heated Game 6 between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche, emotions ran high as the Stars fought their way to a 2-1 victory after double-overtime, advancing to the Western Conference final.

However, the game was not without controversy, as a tense moment unfolded between Stars forward Mason Marchment and Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.

With few minutes left in the first period, Marchment wrapped up Makar near the net, prompting Makar to forcefully push Marchment into the boards. As Makar slipped down, Marchment seized the opportunity to land several punches on the defenseman before being pulled away by Avalanche players and referees.

Watch the video here:

The incident sparked a brief scuffle on the ice, leaving Makar visibly upset and discussing the altercation with officials from the bench. Surprisingly, no penalties were called.

In the game itself, Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene scored for the Stars while Jake Oettinger made 29 saves.

Mikko Rantanen scored the lone goal while Alexandar Georgiev stopped 37 shots for the Avalanche.

Cale Makar reflects on Avalanche’s heartbreaking 2-1 OT loss to Stars

Despite taking a 1-0 lead in the second period on a power-play goal by Mikko Rantanen, the Avalanche were unable to hold on to their advantage.

The Stars fought back, with Benn equalizing early in the third period after receiving a clever behind-the-back pass from Evgenii Dadonov. Duchene ultimately secured the victory for the Stars later in the second period of overtime.

Makar expressed his disappointment following the game:

“A devastating result,” Makar said after the game. “The year being where we all feel like we have a team that with all of our pieces can make a push for the whole thing.”

Nathan MacKinnon, a Hart Trophy finalist who had four goals and 10 assists in the postseason run, echoed Makar’s sentiments:

“We fought hard,” MacKinnon said. “The effort was there the whole series.”

Mason Marchment believed he had secured the winning goal with 7:29 remaining in the overtime, however, it was disallowed due to goaltender interference. After a review, the on-ice decision stood.

Duchene and Makar were in front of Georgiev, resulting in the call. The NHL’s situation room clarified that Duchene hindered Georgievs positioning in the goal crease:

“The explanation that I got was Dutchie’s [bottom] was over the line. His feet were outside but his [bottom] was over the line,” Marchment said. “I think honestly, they didn’t want to make it a deciding goal. … At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. We got the job done. It’s awesome.”

As the Stars move on to the Western Conference final, they await the winner of the ongoing series between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, with the Canucks currently holding a 3-2 lead ahead of Game 6 on Saturday.