DALLAS — You could sense it Thursday morning, that the Dallas Stars were all business ahead of Game 2. No freaking way would they allow themselves to fall two games behind at home in consecutive playoff series.

Miro Heiskanen scored two power-play goals as the Stars held off the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 on Thursday night at a rocking American Airlines Center to even their second-round series 1-1.

After the Stars lost a 3-0 lead in a Game 1 loss, they built a 4-0 lead late in the second period in Game 2 and looked well on their way to victory. But the Avalanche rallied again with three third-period goals, and made it 4-3 on Valeri Nichushkin’s goal with 3:44 remaining. This time, the Stars held on, even though the Avalanche had a late power play. Esa Lindell scored into an empty net to clinch the victory. Roope Hintz had one goal and three assists for the Stars.

Looks like we’ll be getting the series most people predicted. Two Stanley Cup-worthy teams going punch and counter-punch.

Fatigue factor?

Game 3 will be Saturday night in Denver as the series goes every other day. One assumes that should eventually favor a more-rested Avalanche team, especially since Stars head coach Peter DeBeor said after Game 1 that he thought his team looked fatigued in Game 1 Tuesday night coming off that grueling, seven-gamer with Vegas.

But there was zero evidence fatigue on Thursday night, as the Stars played a rock-solid playoff game and demonstrated maximum energy, winning puck battles, with all four forward lines coming in waves and forcing Avalanche mistakes.

Colorado suffered its first loss since the opening night of the playoffs in Winnipeg but nevertheless headed home with the split, with the Avalanche very much still in good shape.

It’s the Stars who desperately needed this one and they made sure to get it, although not without some nervous moments late.

Special teams

The special-teams battle was a clear win for Colorado in Game 1, with its two power-play goals changing the momentum of that game and sparking the Avs’ comeback.

It was a role reversal in Game 2, with the Stars getting a pair of power-play goals from Heiskanen plus what seemed to be a dagger, a short-handed goal from Tyler Seguin late in the second period which made it 4-0.

The Stars, meanwhile, killed both Avalanche power plays. Stars head coach Peter DeBoer reminded his players between games about the necessity to stay disciplined against Colorado’s dangerous power play.

“Absolutely,” DeBoer said Thursday morning. “Having said that, we took two penalties (in Game 1). You’re going to take some penalties. That’s on us. It’s our responsibility to get some kills. We have to be prepared to kill one or two penalties a night. The discipline part comes in if we’re taking five or six (penalties). On that end, I don’t think it’s realistic to pitch a no-hitter. That’s on us, we got to get a couple of kills a night. It’s a big task against that group, but we’ve got a good penalty kill, too. That was a little disappointing for me last game.”

Mission accomplished for Dallas in Game 2. And it was all the more important to win the special-teams battle, given how close five on five play was. Natural Stat Trick had five-on-five scoring chances even at 11-11 through 40 minutes.

“Special teams are huge this time of the year. I mean, at any time of the year, but especially in the playoffs,” Avs head coach Jared Bednar said Thursday morning. “Because you’re playing teams, when you get down to it, that are so committed to what they do on the defensive side of it. They’ve fine-tuned all the details. So it just gets harder and harder to create offense five-on-five. So, special teams, it’s your one chance with an advantage to make something happen.’’

He’s right, except on this night, it was the Stars taking advantage of it.

MacKinnon vs. Tanev

The matchup of the series was back in play in Game 2, although the Stars didn’t chase it quite as aggressively this time. Still, Stars blueliner Chris Tanev saw plenty of Hart Trophy nominee Nathan MacKinnon and did a heck of a job on this night.

MacKinnon was limited to three shots on goal, two of which came late during Colorado’s comeback push.

After matching up with Vegas’ Jack Eichel in Round 1, Tanev didn’t shy away from the importance of the task he’s being asked to take on in this round when I asked him about it on Wednesday.

It’s fascinating theater, watching these players go at it. They’re both going to have their moments in this series. But watching Tanev in these playoffs, you absolutely understand why Stars GM Jim Nill saw the fit.

Benn on Toews

Stars captain Jamie Benn absolutely crushed Avs blueliner Devon Toews behind the Colorado net with a thunderous but clean body check early in the second period.

The refs reviewed it on video to make sure, but it was clearly a shoulder-to-shoulder hit, which unfortunately also led to Toews banging his head. After the review, no penalty was called. Which, again, was the correct decision. Toews missed a part of the period to get evaluated and fortunately returned to the game.

But the hit by Benn, an old-school beauty, is part of what the Stars hoped to do more in Game 2 and the rest of the series — lay some body on the speedy Avalanche. Easier said than done, of course. Ask the Winnipeg Jets about that. But the Stars hope that if they can lay enough licks on Colorado’s top pairing of Toews and Cale Makar, in particular, that the physical investment will pay off later in the series. It’s an age-old approach, but with top-end players like Makar and Toews, it’s the way to go if you can actually get to them enough times.

Goalie battle

The Stars are supposed to have the goalie edge in this series, and it played out that way in Game 2, with Jake Oettinger looking very solid in the Dallas net. His pad save on a Zach Parise re-direct in the first period was a thing of beauty.

Not that Colorado’s Alexander Georgiev was bad on this night, as you can’t really fault him on any of the goals. But one thing to watch for was that the Stars scored twice going lateral on him with east-west passing plays. That set up one of Heiskanen’s power-play goals and also a one-timer by Hintz. I wonder if the Stars, in studying video, feel that’s something to explore, making Georgiev move laterally.

(Photo of Dallas’ Roope Hintz: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)