Tyler Seguin scored 5:31 into overtime, and the Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in Denver on Wednesday night to steal home ice back in their Western Conference quarterfinal series.
Jamie Benn also scored and Jake Oettinger turned away 27 shots for Dallas, which leads the series 2-1.
Game 4 is Saturday night in Denver.
Mason Marchment carried the puck down low and backhanded a pass to Seguin as he skated toward the net. Seguin tipped it by Mackenzie Blackwood for the Stars’ second overtime win of the series.
The loss spoiled the return of Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog.
Landeskog had not played since lifting the Stanley Cup on June 26, 2022. A right knee injury required four surgeries, including cartilage replacement.
He played two games with Colorado’s AHL affiliate and was activated off injured reserve on Tuesday.
Landeskog received a thunderous ovation when he was introduced with the top line before the opening faceoff.
“Well, I’d like to play better, just, but I feel pretty good,” he said postgame. “Speed-wise, legs, physically, I felt good. I got a lot of things to improve on, and just timing and seeing things, seeing the right plays, executing them.”
Valeri Nichushkin scored and Blackwood made 26 saves for the Avalanche, who couldn’t capitalize on a four-minute power play at the end of regulation and the start of overtime.
“You think about OT winners and you feel how important they are, but just so much more tonight than that goal,” Seguin said. “I mean, … it’s the penalty kill, it’s the details of the game, of what the guys did.”
The Stars held a 14-5 advantage in shots in the first period and created more chances, but it was Colorado that scored first.
With the teams skating four-on-four, Samuel Girard passed the puck to Nichushkin above the circles, and the winger cycled through the slot, curled around, got a screen from Brock Nelson and went in alone on Oettinger.
Nichushkin stickhandled to get the goaltender off balance and then stuffed the puck behind Oettinger’s right skate at 8:09.
Dallas had a great chance in the second period when Mikael Granlund got behind the Avalanche defense and skated in on Blackwood, but the goalie made the save to keep it a 1-0 game.
It stayed that way until midway through the third period. Colorado killed off one minor but 20 seconds later Nathan MacKinnon drew an interference minor. The Stars scored 10 seconds into the power play when Benn tipped Thomas Harley’s pass by Blackwood at 9:18.
“Huge relief,” Oettinger said of that goal. “You know, felt like we were knocking on the door for a while. Felt like we were going to get our chance, if we could just keep it close, and we did that as a group. Power play stepped up huge.”
Landeskog said of the Avalanche’s response to the defeat, “I think the message would be to look at the film, get better and improve, and then another crack at it on Saturday night. So obviously it’s not the outcome we wanted, but that’s the way it goes, and that’s playoff hockey. Have a short memory.”
–Field Level Media
