NHL-leading Avs blank Stars 2-0 for big step toward home-ice advantage throughout playoffs

DALLAS (AP) — Martin Necas broke a scoreless tie midway through the third period, Nathan MacKinnon added an empty-netter and the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche took a big step toward home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs with a 2-0 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

Scott Wedgewood made 17 saves against his former team for his third shutout of the season in the first meeting of these Central Division rivals not to go to a shootout. Dallas won two of those three.

The regulation win gave the Avalanche an eight-point edge over the Stars, who have five games remaining. Colorado has seven games to go.

The Stars won each of the postseason meetings with the Avs the past two seasons, and a second-round showdown could be looming this spring.

Dallas is headed toward an opening-round match with third-place Minnesota, which pulled within four points of the Stars with a 4-1 victory over Ottawa and has an extra game remaining.

While Wedgewood has a good chance to start in net for the Avalanche, the Stars went with Casey DeSmith, the backup to Jake Oettinger, in the final regular-season meeting. DeSmith made 20 stops.

Colorado was without star defenseman Cale Makar for a second straight game due to an upper-body injury, while fellow blueliner Brent Burns became the second player in NHL history to play in 1,000 consecutive games.

Necas found a seam behind the Dallas defense and tipped in a perfect pass from Artturi Lehkonen for his 36th goal 10:39 into the third. MacKinnon's NHL-leading 51st came in the final minute after Wedgewood withstood a frantic rush moments earlier.

Stars forward Arttu Hyry had what appeared to be a wide-open look at a tying goal in the slot, but misfired as the puck fluttered over the net.

Avalanche: St. Louis visits Sunday in the first of consecutive meetings. The rematch is Tuesday at the Blues.

Stars: Face Calgary at home Tuesday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Fans and the Colorado Avalanche cheer after an in-house announcement celebrating Brent Burns', left sitting on bench, 1000th career game achievement in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Dallas Stars center Mavrik Bourque (22) takes control of the puck in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Colorado Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon (29) and Dallas Stars' Jamie Benn (14) exchange words as Joel Kiviranta (94) looks on in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Dallas Stars center Oskar Bäck (10) is slammed against the boards by Colorado Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog (92) as Sam Malinski (70) takes control of the puck in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

HOUSTON (AP) — Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts.

On the downside, their toilet is on the blink again.

The three Americans and one Canadian are set to reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar far side as they zoom around. It is the first moon-bound crew in more than 53 years, picking up where NASA’s Apollo program left off.

“The Earth is quite small, and the moon is definitely getting bigger,” pilot Victor Glover reported.

Until the Orion capsule's bathroom is fixed, Mission Control has instructed the astronauts to break out more of the backup urine collection bags. The so-called lunar loo malfunctioned following Wednesday’s liftoff and has been hit-and-miss ever since. A version of the Artemis II toilet was tested on the International Space Station several years ago.

Engineers suspect ice may be blocking the line that is preventing urine from completely flushing overboard. The toilet is still open for No. 2 business.

Debbie Korth, NASA’s Orion program deputy manager, said the astronauts have also reported a smell coming from the bathroom, which is buried in the floor of the capsule with a door and curtain for privacy.

“Space toilets and bathrooms are something everybody can understand .. it’s always a challenge,” she said, noting that the space shuttle toilet was also often on the fritz.

John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team, said it is human nature to be interested in the space commode, and even though it is “in a good state right now,” he’d like it to be working at 100%.

“They’re OK,” he said of the astronauts. “They trained to manage through the situation.”

Artemis II is poised to set a distance record for humans, traveling more than 252,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon and heading home without stopping or entering lunar orbit. The record is currently held by Apollo 13.

The Canadian Space Agency celebrated the country’s role in the mission, speaking from Quebec with astronaut Jeremy Hansen as he headed toward his lunar rendezvous. Hansen is the first non-U.S. citizen to fly to the moon.

“Today he is making history for Canada,” Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell said. “As we watch him taking this bold step into the unknown, let his journey remind us that Canada’s future is written by those who dare to reach for more.”

In the live televised linkup, Hansen said he has already witnessed “extraordinary” views from NASA's Orion capsule.

Hansen, Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch are the world's first lunar astronauts since Apollo 17's crew of three in 1972. Koch and Glover are the first female and first Black astronauts to the moon, respectively.

Their nearly 10-day mission — ending with a Pacific splashdown on April 10 — is the first step in NASA's bold plans for a sustainable moon base. The space agency is aiming for a landing by two astronauts near the lunar south pole in 2028.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

In this image from video provided by NASA, Artemis II astronauts, from left, Reid Wiseman, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch and Victor Glover gather for an interview en route to the moon on Saturday, April 4, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This image provided by the Canadian Space Agency, Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen of Canada, connects live from the Orion spacecraft and speaks with Canadian media along with astronauts Victor Glover, left, and Reid Wiseman on Saturday, April 4, 2026. (Canadian Space Agency via AP)

This image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew Commander Reid Wiseman, second from left, thanking the families of the crew while speaking with NASA Mission Control in a video conference while en route to the moon, Thursday, April 2, 2026, as Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, far left, looks on and mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover, far right, make hearts with their hands. (NASA via AP) CORRECTION: headed to the moon, not in moon's orbit

This image from video provided by NASA shows a view of earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's four windows after completing the translunar injection burn, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA via AP)