Years from now, everyone who watched Wednesday night will remember the electricity of Gabe Landeskog’s remarkable return to the NHL.
His first game back also ended with Mikko Rantanen’s first huge moment in a Dallas Stars uniform. Rantanen was held without a point in this Stanley Cup Playoffs opening-round showdown through the first two games and deep into Game 3, but he was the engine behind the Stars’ winning goal to grab a 2-1 series lead against the Colorado Avalanche.
“He created that goal,” Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said. “Both with a defensive play, because first he blocked a shot, then he won a couple of board battles and advanced the puck in order for us to score.