Stars hold off Avalanche in overtime to take 2-1 series lead: Takeaways

New York Times

24-04-2025

Despite featuring 11 20-goal scorers, including two of the 10 most efficient postseason producers in NHL history, Game 3 of the first-round series between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars was all about the defense, as both teams struggled to find any open ice with which to work any offensive magic. These are two of the most playoff-experienced teams in the league, and they looked the part, playing smart, conservative counter-punch hockey — the kind you typically see in the conference final and Stanley Cup Final, not the more wide-open first round.
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From the moment Gabriel Landeskog stepped on the ice for warmups, Ball Arena was rocking, but the joy gave way to excruciating tension as the game went on — all the way until Tyler Seguin scored off a Mason Marchment feed at 5:31 of overtime to give the Stars a 2-1 win and a 2-1 series lead.
Dallas appeared doomed when Marchment caught Brock Nelson with a high-stick, drawing blood, with 39.5 seconds left in regulation. But the Stars killed off the four-minute double-minor, with defenseman Esa Lindell making a glove save on Artturi Lehkonen at the tail end of the power play to keep the game going. Two minutes later, Mikko Rantanen out-muscled Jonathan Drouin to get the puck out of the defensive zone and spring Marchment, who held off Devon Toews before turning and feeding Seguin from below the goal line.
Marchment sets up Seguin for the overtime-winner pic.twitter.com/QVitNo1pN1
— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) April 24, 2025
This was the Stars' second straight overtime victory, and they have the series lead despite leading for just 62 seconds of the series.
Despite all the emotion and energy in the rink with Gabriel Landeskog's stirring return to action after nearly three years away, Colorado started quite slowly. Five minutes into the game, the Stars were in total control, up 4-0 in shots and owning the puck. When Ryan Lindgren was sent to the box for cross-checking Wyatt Johnston at 6:28, Dallas appeared poised to really take over. But a fateful call changed the complexion of the game.
Seventeen seconds into the power play, Mikko Rantanen was called for tripping Valeri Nichushkin. Replays showed Nichushkin fell on his own, and that Rantanen's stick never touched him. But in the ensuing four-on-four action, Nichushkin scored a beauty of a goal — stickhandling his way through the offensive zone, wheeling back, and then making a sudden 180 in the high slot. Dallas defenseman Thomas Harley, who had been with Nichushkin every step of the way, ran into a pick from Brock Nelson and Nichushkin had an instant breakaway, going out wide to tuck the puck around Jake Oettinger's skate. Just like that, it was Colorado that had the lead, not Dallas.
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The Stars still dominated the period from there — out-attempting the Avs 20-9 and out-chancing them 7-4 at five-on-five — but MacKenzie Blackwood stopped all 13 shots he faced to send Colorado into the locker room with a 1-0 lead.
Landeskog wasted no time getting himself into the action, stepping into and leveling old pal Mikko Rantanen 28 seconds into the game.
'That was a nice hit,' Rantanen told ESPN's Leah Hextall during the second intermission.
As expected, Landeskog's minutes were limited, but he wasn't shy when he was out there. In 11:38 of ice time in regulation, he was credited with a team-high six hits. He didn't have any shot attempts, but per Natural Stat Trick, the Avalanche out-attempted the Stars 18-5 and out-chanced them 7-1 with Landeskog on the ice.
Landeskog making an impact on his first shift, with a big hit on former teammate Rantanen pic.twitter.com/tJ4caQjBsi
— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) April 24, 2025
Blackwood has been one of the early stories of the series with his strong play in his postseason debut, but Dallas' Jake Oettinger entered the chat in Game 3. While the Avalanche didn't throw a ton of rubber at him early on, they made up in quality what they lacked in quantity. In the second period alone, Oettinger made a huge save on Brock Nelson in front, turned aside a Logan O'Connor breakaway, and stopped a hard-charging Nathan MacKinnon in the final minute. As the action ratcheted up in the third, Oettinger stood tall, stopping all 12 shots he faced.
Jake Oettinger reaching with the inside of the blocker! pic.twitter.com/19joj2tdbn
— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) April 24, 2025
It was his best game of the series yet, which surely would come as no surprise to Stars coach Pete DeBoer.
'Jake has an ability to raise his level this time of year; he's shown that,' Stars coach Pete DeBoer said at the start of the series. 'And he's going to have to do that again for us. That's what elite goalies have to do this time of year. The thing I've always admired about Jake is as the games have gotten more important in the series, the deeper into the series it goes, the more his game rises. Hopefully he comes out of the gate at the really high level we expect him to. But I also know he has that in his bag as the temperature goes up and the series goes deeper, he gets better.'
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Colorado's disciplined defense frustrated Dallas for the first two periods, but the Stars finally get their chance on the power play in the third — well, chances.
After a terrific Avalanche kill of an Artturi Lehkonen holding penalty on Thomas Harley, Dallas went right back to the power play at 9:08 of the third when MacKinnon got his stick caught in Game 2 hero Colin Blackwell's skates. Nine seconds into the power play, Stars captain Jamie Benn redirected a Thomas Harley shot/pass past Blackwood for the equalizer.
It was the 28th playoff goal of Jamie Benn's career, who is 23rd among active players with 79 career postseason points in 105 games. It was also his first goal in 20 games, dating back to March 8.
Mikko Rantanen is ninth all-time in postseason points per game at 1.22 — just behind Mike Bossy and just ahead of Jari Kurri. But he's still looking for his first point of this series. After getting knocked down by Landeskog, he later whiffed on a scoring chance after Mikael Granlund forced a Nathan MacKinnon turnover midway through the first. But Rantanen looked good from there, firing five shots on goal and routinely getting to the front of the Colorado net.
Shots are fine. But goals are better. And the Stars need goals.
'Couple good looks in the first and second period to score, just gotta stay with it, not get frustrated,' Rantanen told Hextall. 'Not a lot of room out there five-on-five. When the chances come, you've got to try to bury them. Hopefully I can do a better job with that.'
Rantanen did pick up his first point of the series — and it was a big one — on Seguin's game-winner.
The Avalanche got their long-awaited return. Will the Stars get theirs?
Miro Heiskanen, who hasn't played since late January after having knee surgery, once again participated in the morning skate on Wednesday. Before Game 2, he was mostly working on his own during the skate. Before Game 3, he rotated in for some power-play work.
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With an extra day off before Saturday night's Game 4, perhaps Heiskanen could be available.
'We're incorporating him more and more into things, he's looking more and more comfortable,' Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. 'Yeah, I would say he's getting closer, for sure.'