Gabriel Landeskog’s emotional return to the Colorado Avalanche in front of a sold-out crowd at Ball Arena in Denver wasn’t enough to stop the Dallas Stars from taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 first-round series between two of the best teams in the NHL on Wednesday.
For the second consecutive game, the Stars authored a third-period comeback and then won in overtime, this time 2-1.
Stars captain Jamie Benn tied Game 3 at one in the third period. Then his longtime teammate, Tyler Seguin, scored the game winner at 5:31 of overtime to give Dallas a critical road win to reclaim home-ice advantage in this exciting series.
Landeskog’s return was the main storyline coming into Game 3, his first NHL game in 1,033 days following multiple knee surgeries. He wasted no time getting physical, sending former teammate Mikko Rantanen to the ice, igniting the Colorado crowd.
With the teams skating 4-on-4 early in the first period, Valeri Nichushkin gave Colorado a 1-0 lead with his first of the postseason at 8:09. Aided by a defensive breakdown and a screen by Brock Nelson, Nichushkin found himself with the puck, all alone, and beat Stars goalie Jake Oettinger.
The Stars outshot the Avalanche 14-5 in the first period, but Colorado had a 3-2 advantage in high-scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick. Colorado had a good chance to add to their lead at the end of the period when Game 2 hero Colin Blackwell went to the box for tripping at 17:43, but Dallas stood tall, killed the penalty and kept it a one-goal game heading into the first intermission.
Dallas only had four shots on goal in the second period, a relatively stress-free 20 minutes for Colorado goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, though Mikael Granlund clanged a shot off the left post in the final minute of play.
Similar to Game 2, the Stars tied the score near the midway point of the third period. This time it was Benn, with a beautiful deflection for a power-play goal at 9:18.Â
A high stick by Mason Marchment drew blood on Nelson’s nose at 19:20 in the third period, setting up four minutes of power play time for Colorado with a chance to win the game at the end of the third, or the beginning of overtime. The Avalanche got four shots on goal, but couldn’t beat Oettinger.
That was a massive truning point because shortly after the four-minute power play ended, Seguin scored the game-winner for the Stars.
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3 takeaways from Stars’ 2-1 overtime win against Avalanche in Game 3 of playoff series
1. Gabriel Landeskog makes emotional return after 3-year absence
Landeskog, Colorado’s captain, returned to the lineup for the first time since Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, when he helped the Avalanche win their third championship. He made his emotional return to the ice in his home arena, an incredible moment for Landeskog and the Colorado crowd.
“I don’t know exactly what was going through my mind and body at that time, but it was pretty special, and that’s a memory for life. Simple as that,” Landeskog said postgame. “Avs faithful, they make it special, you know? It’s a special place to play, it’s a special place to live and raise a family. And obviously the last three years have been difficult at times. And to come back and feel that love, I mean, incredible. So it means a lot.”
Shortly after winning the Cup, Landeskog underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and was expected to miss 12 weeks of the 2022-23 season. He ended up missing the entire season. Landeskog had more surgeries, including a cartilage transplant, and missed the next two seasons. When he took the ice on Wednesday, he became the first player in NHL history to return after a knee cartilage transplant surgery.
Landeskog didn’t record a point nor a shot on goal in 13:16 TOI on Wednesday, but he did lead all skaters with six hits and provided one of the most emotional highlights of the 2024-25 NHL season with his return.
2. Consecutive overtime wins turn series in Dallas’ favor
The Stars quickly surrendered home-ice advantage, when they lost the series opener 5-1. That was also their eighth straight loss (0-6-2) after a seven-game skid to close out the regular season.
In Game 2, the overtime goal came from an unlikely source. Blackwell had only scored six regular-season goals, but added his first in the postseason at a perfect time. That was a massive lidt.
It was more the usual suspects in Game 3 for Dallas. Benn, who tied it in the third, and Seguin, who won it in overtime, both rank in the top five in goals in franchise history for the Stars.
And it was a special moment for Seguin, too. Not unlike Landeskog, Seguin missed significant time following hip surgery this season and returned in time for this series. He didn’t miss three years, but his return certainly has lifted the Stars.
3. Mikko Rantanen still searching for first playoff goal against former team
Rantanen played 10 seasons with the Avalanche and helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2022, before he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this season. When Carolina realized it couldn;t sign the pending UFA to along-term contract, it shipped him to Dallas. After signing a lucrative contract with the Stars, here he is facing his former team in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The 28-year-old is without a goal in three games. Blackwood and Co. have done well holding him at bay; Rantanen’s recorded 11 shots on goal, the most by any player in the playoffs without a goal scored.Â
Rantanen picked up the secondary assist on Seguin’s game winner, which marked his first point of the series. His former team must be hoping that doesn’t get him off and running because they know how Rantanen is capable of taking over a game or a series with his immense talent.