Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog returned from injury on Wednesday night. He skated in Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars. This is his first NHL action since June 2022. And Colorado fans welcomed their captain back in a major way.

As usual, the Avalanche ran through their usual pre-game player introductions. When Landeskog's turn came around, the Colorado faithful in Ball Arena became unglued. One Avalanche reporter said it was so loud that the press box began shaking.

Landeskog made his presence felt early in this contest, as well. He threw a massive hit on Stars forward Mikko Rantanen early in the first period. Rantanen and Landeskog are former teammates. The two won the Stanley Cup together in 2022 with the Avalanche, in fact.

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The Avalanche captain has not scored a point in Game 3. However, Colorado certainly gave its fans something to cheer for in the first period. Valeri Nichushkin found the back of the net after an impressive individual effort to make it a 1-0 game. This is a lead they would hold for a good amount of the game, as well.

However, the Stars certainly refused to go away. They pushed for an equalizer, looking to tie the game and give themselves a chance to win the game. They needed to wait until the third period, but Dallas eventually broke through. Stars captain Jamie Benn scored at 9:18 in the final regulation frame to tie the contest at 1-1.

The Stars and Avalanche likely want to avoid another overtime contest. Especially Colorado, given they lost Game 2 in the extra period. Whatever happens, this has certainly been an entertaining series. And it seems set for a thrilling conclusion no matter who stakes claims to four victories in this best-of-seven showdown.