Good & Bad: Landeskog Makes Emotional Return, Avalanche Fall in OT Again

DENVER — The balancing act of welcoming back team captain Gabriel Landeskog and partaking in a crucial playoff game was no easy task on Wednesday. And in the end, the Avalanche couldn’t capitalize on an opportunity to use that emotion. For the second straight game, an overtime game ended with a goal for the Dallas Stars.

This time it was a 2-1 final score.

The Ball Arena crowd did an incredible job welcoming back the captain after 1,032 days since his last game. From the start of the warmups until the drop of the puck and beyond, chants of “Landy” echoed through the building.

“It was amazing, Landeskog said, addressing the media after the game. “I’m just blessed and very fortunate to be in a position to feel those feelings and to feel … I don’t know what exactly was going through my body and mind at that time, but it was pretty special.

“That’s a memory for life. Simple as that.”

Colorado lost after Tyler Seguin scored in OT to give the Stars a 2-1 series lead. The Avs began OT with 3:21 of a double-minor power play that carried over from regulation but couldn’t capitalize. They ended the night 0-for-6 on the PP, and it ultimately led to their demise.

“Everything,” head coach Jared Bednar said when asked what needs to be corrected with the PP.

Colorado’s lone opportunity in the extra frame came after the PP expired. Artturi Lehkonen jumped on a rebound and fired it on a wide open goal but defenseman Esa Lindell, who was excellent on the Dallas PK, blocked it. Mason Marchment came out of the box and scored two minutes later, getting the winner at 5:31 of the extra frame.

“I think we a lot of it comes down to execution. A little bit slow, a little bit having some some issues execution wise, and we’ll clean that up,” Landeskog said. “I mean, we’ve got a lot of good players on the ice, and I have all the faith in the world and we’ll clean it up come Saturday.”

Valeri Nichushkin scored the Avs’ lone goal, getting the opening tally just 8:09 into the first period. Stars goalie Jake Oettinger was great the rest of the way, making 25 saves in regulation, including 12 in the third period. Oettinger also had three saves in OT.

From the opening drop of the puck, the intensity was ramped up, and the crowd loved seeing Landeskog knock down Mikko Rantanen. The captain led the team with six hits, playing on the third line with Charlie Coyle and Joel Kiviranta.

He also took the ice for the opening faceoff, lining up with center Nathan MacKinnon, winger Martin Necas, and blueliners Cale Makar and Devon Toews. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Landeskog was his former longtime teammate, Rantanen.

“He said something along the lines of, ‘welcome back.’ Something like that,” Landeskog said of Rantanen, who finished the night with an assist. “Regardless of what jersey he wears, I love him. He’s a good friend of mine. But in this series, obviously we’re not friends when we’re playing.”

After Nichushkin’s tally, the Stars had the best of the Avs for the remainder of the first period. Colorado held a 1-0 lead for more than 40 minutes of play but couldn’t add to it. Their two best chances came from Brock Nelson, who was stopped by Oettinger in the crease, and Logan O’Connor, who went to his backhand on a breakaway but couldn’t beat the goalie.

The Stars tied it up on a power play with just over 10 minutes remaining in the third. The Avs got in penalty trouble, taking two minors in short order. The first one, a holding call on Lehkonen, was successfully killed off. The second, an interference on MacKinnon just 20 seconds after Lehkonen’s penalty ended, was the one that led to the goal.

Jamie Benn redirected a Thomas Harley shot past Mackenzie Blackwood to make it 1-1.

Good: Nichushkin Makes Most of Opportunity

Everything about that Nichushkin goal was exactly the type of play you need to take advantage of. Nichushkin circled the zone once, saw an opening, and was suddenly all alone facing Oettinger. He was so in tight to the goal that a shot probably would’ve been stopped. Oettinger cut the angle. But the ability for Nichushkin to recognize that and instead go for a dangle to the backhand was excellent work.

Matt Duchene was caught looking during the play, and it doesn’t look great. But Dallas was playing man-on-man for the 4-on-4, and that wasn’t his man. Harley was trailing behind Nichushkin but ran into Nelson. That’s what opened up the lane for Nichushkin to go in all alone.

Either way, great work by Nichushkin. He’s officially entered the series.

Bad: MacKinnon Has a Tough Night

Let’s call it how it was: MacKinnon had a brutal night.

Yes, he created a bit offensively, especially earlier in the game. But all in all, he didn’t play well.

MacKinnon’s biggest flaw was a lack of urgency both in creating on the power play and in protecting the puck. On the play that led to the game winner, the puck bounced past MacKinnon to Drouin. He was outmuscled by Rantanen and the puck went the other way to set up Marchment’s goal.

MacKinnon had similar plays on his zone entires on the man advantage. It was far too easy to poke the puck away from him. The urgency was lacking.

The penalty that led to Benn’s goal is just a cherry on top. Simply put, the Avs need more from MacKinnon (and Makar), especially at five on five.