Stars stun Avalanche in overtime, spoil Gabe Landeskog’s return in Game 3

It was an emotional night at Ball Arena, with a player who recently made a comeback from a long absence scoring the game-winner in overtime.

That player was Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin, and the Colorado Avalanche is now behind in this Stanley Cup Playoffs series.

Seguin, who missed 58 games after hip surgery, scored 5:31 into overtime Wednesday night to help the Stars defeat the Avalanche, 2-1, and to take a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven series.

Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog returned to the lineup for the first time since June 26, 2022, the day Colorado won the Stanley Cup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but it was Seguin who was the hero. Mason Marchment, who started the overtime in the penalty box, set up Seguin on the rush.

Marchment took a double minor for high-sticking Brock Nelson with 39.5 seconds left in regulation. It gave the Avs more than three minutes of power-play time to start the overtime. Artturi Lehkonen had a chance with Jake Oettinger out of position, but Stars defenseman Esa Lindell made the save of the night, blocking the shot with his hand.

This game was a tight defensive battle, particularly at even strength.

Valeri Nichushkin had the lone goal of the opening period. With Ryan Lindgren and Mikko Rantanen in the box, Nichushkin used a screen from Brock Nelson that Nikola Jokic would be proud of to shake free of Stars defenseman Thomas Harley and create a wide-open lane to the net for his first goal of this postseason at 8:09.

Dallas tied this contest midway through the third period after back-to-back Colorado penalties. The Avalanche killed off an Artturi Lehkonen infraction, but 10 seconds after Nathan MacKinnon went to the box for interfering with Game 2 Stars hero Colin Blackwell at center ice, this game was all square at 1-1.

Stars captain Jamie Benn redirected the puck from the high slot past Avs goalie Mackenzie Blackwood at 9:18 of the third.

Avs coach Jared Bednar hasn’t loved his second line’s impact through the first two contests in this series, so he moved Jonathan Drouin to the top unit and put Artturi Lehkonen with Nelson and Nichushkin at the start of Game 3.

Despite the electric atmosphere and the return of the Captain, the Avs had arguably their worst period of the series to start. Nichushkin’s goal did give Colorado the lead, but Mackenzie Blackwood’s 14 saves were huge.

The start to this night was cinematic sports theater. Landeskog emerged from the locker room for the start of pregame warmups to a roar akin to the first bell toll of The Undertaker’s entrance at WrestleMania.

There were “Landy” chants, a lap around the ice before the rest of the Avs skaters joined him and fans jammed into the seats and aisles in the sections near where Colorado warmed up.

Landeskog was announced last in the starting lineup, which was met with a thunderous ovation that shook the press box above the last row of seats. The Avs captain knocked Rantanen to the ice for his first hit and set up MacKinnon for the team’s first shot on goal.

There was a tribute video, similar to one when a player leaves for another team and returns, during the first television timeout.

Landeskog became the first player to ever have knee cartilage replacement surgery and return to NHL action. Other NHL players have had the procedure done, and while it improved their quality of life away from the ice, they were unable to play hockey at this level again.

A group of Landeskog’s friends and family members came to the game sporting shirts with No. 92 on them and a simple message: “The bigger the setback, the greater the comeback.”

Now it is the Avs who need a comeback against their playoff nemesis.

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