The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche enter Game 3 at a deadlock, after splitting the series at American Airlines Center. In order to avoid falling to a 1-3 pit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs first round, the Stars will need to steal at least one game on the road. Ahead of a crucial showdown at Ball Arena, former stars in Colorado, Mikko Rantanen and Matt Duchene, voiced key statements to their teammates.
Emotions will run high when the Avs and Stars collide on the ice during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In addition to what’s at stake, the barn will be rocking even louder as captain Gabriel Landeskog is expected to make his NHL return after almost three years.
The roof might as well blow up when No. 92 on the Avalanche is introduced to the rowdy, jam-packed crowd. Rantanen, Duchene, and the Stars will need to cancel out the noise, if that’s even possible, and hope to set the tone early in the game. If not, they could be in for a long, long night.
On that note, Rantanen and Duchene—both familiar with the burgundy and blue in the NHL—know exactly what to expect, and they’re making sure no one is caught flat-footed when they step onto the ice in Mile High City.
Mikko Rantanen #96 of Team Finland stands at attention during the national anthems prior to the game against Team Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off game at the Bell Centre on February 15, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
“I’ve played a lot of playoff games here as the home team. The crowd is really good here so we’ve got to try to manage the crowd,” Rantanen told the media after the Stars’ morning skate. “The first period is important. We need to play simple road hockey, make it boring.“
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Stars’ Mikko Rantanen makes his intentions clear before facing crucial test in Colorado return for Game 3
Duchene’s comments
Rantanen and Duchene had different exits from the organization in Denver. The sentiment around the fanbase was made clear when the Stars visited the Avs near the end of the regular season, during Rantanen’s first game back in Colorado after the blockbuster trade.
While the fans cheered for Rantanen, with ‘Moose’ chants echoing loudly from the bleachers down to the ice-level seats. Meanwhile, Duchene was booed by the fans. Obviously, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs there’s no love for nobody on the Stars, not even Rantanen.
“This is obviously a tough building to play in, and you’ve got the altitude to worry about,” Matt Duchene stated, in a clear wake-up call for his teammates ahead of Games 3 and 4 at Ball Arena.
Gabriel Landeskog #92 of the Colorado Avalanche poses for a photo with Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly before the presentation of the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after defeating the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 in overtime in Game Four of the Western Conference Final of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on June 06, 2022 in Edmonton, Alberta.
Bigger than hockey
While fans in Denver may hold no love for Duchene or the Stars, the former Av still shares a deep respect for Gabriel Landeskog—especially after the grueling journey the Avalanche captain has endured.
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With Landeskog’s return looking closer than ever, Duchene made sure to tip his hat to the Avalanche captain’s remarkable journey. “I’m thrilled. That’s so much bigger than hockey,” Duchene said.
