Landeskog Returns to the Ice in an Overtime Loss for the Avalanche

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full swing as the Dallas Stars faced the Colorado Avalanche for the third time this round. Entering this game, the round was tied at 1-1 after an overtime win by the Stars in Game Two. This game had a big difference for the Avalanche as their captain, Gabriel Landeskog, returned to the lineup for the first time since 2022. However, despite having Landeskog back on the ice, the Stars gained a 2-1 lead in the series.

The Stars outshot the Avalanche 14-5 in the first period. However, the Avalanche came out on top, earning the period’s only goal. With a perfect set up from Samuel Girard and Sam Malinski, Valeri Nichushkin fired a wrist shot to put the Avalanche on the board. The Stars had several near shots but ultimately could not find themselves on the board by the end of the first twenty minutes.

Despite a good show of effort from both teams, the second period was relatively uneventful. There were no penalty calls throughout the twenty minutes, and no goals scored. The Stars continued to outshoot the Avalanche this period, extending their lead in shots on goal to 19-13. Though nothing changed on the board, the teams both showed that they were not backing down.

Things got more interesting in the third as the Stars went on two power plays almost immediately, one after another. Following an interference call on Nathan MacKinnon that sent the Stars into a two-minute power play, Thomas Harley fired a shot pass, and Jamie Benn tipped it in to get the Stars on the board and tie the game with 10 minutes left in the third. With less than a minute left in the period, Mason Marchment was called for high-sticking, sending the Avalanche into a four-minute power play that carried into overtime.

This is the second consecutive game to go into overtime in the series between the Stars and Avalanche, and Colorado went into it with over three minutes of a power-play advantage. The Stars managed to kill off the remaining minutes of the power play and were back to full strength with just over 16 minutes left to play. Mason Marchment was able to find Tyler Seguin to earn the Stars another win and end the game. The Stars now have a 2-1 lead and look to steer the momentum of this series in their favor.