MacKinnon gets credit for fluky go-ahead goal as Avs tie series with 7-4 win over Stars in Game 6

DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon sent the puck into traffic in front of the net. What happened next may go down as one of the biggest playoff goals he's ever “scored.”

MacKinnon got credit for a go-ahead goal with 10:56 remaining after the puck bounced off the shoulder of a Dallas player and the Colorado Avalanche staved off elimination by beating the Stars 7-4 in Game 6 on Thursday night.

It was the bounce that kept the Avalanche from being bounced. The first-round playoff series heads to Dallas for Game 7 on Saturday.

On the winning goal, MacKinnon sent a pass near the goal that Sam Steel tried to clear. But it hit the shoulder of Colin Blackwell and caromed toward the net. Goaltender Jake Oettinger couldn't corral the fluttering puck with his glove.

“Super lucky,” MacKinnon said. “Hopefully we get more of those Saturday.”

For the Stars, they're trying to “laugh it off,” Oettinger said. Same with Valeri Nichushkin's goal to start the game that hit a stick, then a skate and went in. Or Cale Makar winding up for a slap shot, only to not get much of it and have it turn into the perfect pass to Artturi Lehkonen for a goal.

“They got better bounces than us,” Oettinger said. “Just can’t make it up. Obviously, (Blackwell) is not trying to knock it in our net.”

Nichushkin has been struggling in the series and taking his frustrations out on his sticks. He got on track with two goals, including the tying tally with 13:58 remaining. Lehkonen and Martin Necas also added goals, while Josh Manson and Makar scored into an empty net.

Makar, MacKinnon, Brock Nelson and captain Gabriel Landeskog each added two assists. Mackenzie Blackwood made 22 saves to send the first-round playoff series back to Dallas.

Stars coach Pete DeBoer is 8-0 all-time in Game 7s, while the Avalanche have lost the last six times they’ve been in a decisive seventh game of a series.

Asked if he liked Game 7s, Stars coach Pete DeBoer responded: “I'd rather win in six. I like Game 7s at home — I can tell you that.”

Colorado avoided having its season end at the hands of Dallas in a Game 6 at home for a second straight postseason. Stars forward and former Avalanche player Matt Duchene ended the second-round series a year ago in double overtime.

Trailing 2-0, the Stars erupted with a four-goal second period led by Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen. Hintz had two goals and two assists, while Rantanen added a goal and three assists against his former team. The Finnish standouts are the first pair of teammates in league history to each record four points in a playoff period, according to NHL Stats.

Mikael Granlund, another Finnish player, also scored in the pivotal period. Oettinger turned back 41 shots on a night the Avalanche outshot the Stars by a 48-26 margin.

“Both teams are going to be desperate,” Rantanen said of Game 7. "It's a tight series. I'm expecting the same thing Saturday.

There was a scary moment in the second period when Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel lost an edge and slid into the boards with Jack Drury on his back. Bichsel stayed down for a moment before being helped to the bench. Bichsel returned in the third period.

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

Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin reacts after scoring against the Dallas Stars in the first period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, front, checks Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen, back, in the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) congratulates center Roope Hintz, after, after his goal in the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas, center, is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring in the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen, center, shoots against Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, left, after driving past defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, right, in the first period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog, bottom right, shoots the puck as Dallas Stars defenseman Cody Ceci (44) and goaltender Jake Oettinger, left, cover in the first period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) shoots the puck past Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley (55) as Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) covers the net in the first period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Dallas Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel, center, is helped off the ice by trainers after being injured in the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz, center top, celebrates after driving past Colorado Avalanche defenseman Ryan Lindgren, front left, and center Charlie Coyle (10) to score in the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz, left, celebrates after scoring with center Mikael Granlund in the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen, front right, reacts after the puck went in the net past Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, back right, as defenseman Thomas Harley looks on for the go-ahead goal awarded to Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon in the third period of Game 6 of an NHL first-round hockey playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, right, celebrates after being awarded a goal with left wing Artturi Lehkonen, center, as Dallas Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin reacts in the third period of Game 6 of an NHL first-round hockey playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Iran's top judge hinted at fast trials and executions for those who were detained in nationwide protests against the country's theocracy, even as activists said Wednesday that the death toll rose to levels unseen in decades with at least 2,572 people killed so far.

Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei made the comments about trials and executions in a video Tuesday, despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would “take very strong action” if executions take place.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the number of dead climbed to at least 2,571 early Wednesday. The figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

After Trump was informed on the number of deaths, he warned Iran's leaders that he was terminating any negotiations and would “act accordingly.”

Details of the crackdown began emerging Tuesday as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications countrywide when the protests broke out.

Here is the latest:

Major Middle East governments were discouraging the Trump administration from waging a war with Iran, fearing “unprecedented consequences” in the volatile region, an Arab Gulf diplomat said Wednesday.

The Cairo-based diplomat, who was given anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said major governments in the region including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabai and Pakistan have been “in constant contact” with the U.S. administration over a potential American strike on Iran that could explode into a “full-blown war.”

Such a war will “certainly” have dire repercussions “not only on the Middle East but also on the global economy," he said.

Samy Magdy contributed from Cairo.

Iranian state television said Wednesday’s mass funeral in Tehran would include 300 bodies of security force members and civilians. The funeral is expected to take place at Tehran University under heavy security.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency, which is tracking the death toll, said more than 2,550 people have been killed, 2,403 protesters and 147 government-affiliated.

Twelve children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.

Gauging the demonstrations and the death toll from abroad has grown more difficult and The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll given the communications being disrupted in the country.

Melanie Lidman contributed from Jerusalem.

Trump’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on countries that trade with Iran could impact India, an expert said, as New Delhi already faces existing 50% U.S. trade levies due its purchases of Russian oil.

Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, a senior economist at the Chintan Research Foundation in New Delhi, said the bigger risk is not India-Iran trade, but India’s access to the U.S. market as its exports to Iran are modest.

India mainly exports rice, tea, sugar, pharmaceuticals and electrical machinery to Iran, while importing dry fruits and chemical products. Textiles and garments, gems and jewelry and engineering goods are likely to be the most vulnerable sectors, he said.

Trump’s latest move also could affect India’s investments in Iran including the strategically important Chabahar port, which gives India a trade route to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe while bypassing Pakistan, Mukhopadhyay said.

Iran’s judiciary chief signals fast trials and executions for those detained in nationwide protests.

Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television on Wednesday.

He emphasized the need for swift action, saying delays would lessen the impact.

His remarks challenge Trump, who warned Iran about executions in an interview aired Tuesday.

Trump stated the U.S. would take strong action if Iran proceeded with executions. The situation highlights escalating tensions between the two countries over the handling of the protests.

Dozens of Pakistani students studying in Iran have returned home through a remote southwestern border crossing, a Pakistani immigration official said Wednesday.

Federal Investigation Agency spokesperson in Quetta city, Samina Raisani, said about 60 students crossed into Pakistan on Tuesday through Gabd border in Balochistan province with valid travel documents.

More students were expected to return through the same crossing later Wednesday, she said.

Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, said Tuesday that Iranian universities had rescheduled exams and permitted international students to leave the country.

The satellite internet provider Starlink now offers free service in to people Iran who have access to the company's receivers, activists said Wednesday.

Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who helped get the units into Iran, told The Associated Press that the free service had started. Other activists also confirmed in messages online that the service was free.

Starlink has been the only way for Iranians to communicate with the outside world since authorities shut down the internet Thursday night as nationwide protests swelled and they began a bloody crackdown against demonstrators.

Starlink did not immediately acknowledge the decision.

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)