Friday Faceoff: Will return of Gabe Landeskog lift Avalanche over Dallas Stars in Stanley Cup playoffs?

Kyle Fredrickson, Broncos beat writer

Answer: Yes

His return (almost) lived up to the hype.

Gabe Landeskog played in his first NHL game in 1,032 days in a triumphant comeback for Game 3 of the Stars series. The Ball Arena crowd chanted his name — LANDY! LANDY! LANDY! — and the 32-year-old captain laid out former teammate Mikko Rantanen on his first shift back.

The only thing missing was an Avs win. Dallas took a 2-1 series lead with (another) overtime victory. It sets up a basically must-win Game 4 on Saturday night. Landy’s comeback should give Avalanche faithful confidence in a series bounce-back for Colorado.

It’s not just an emotional lift.

Landeskog did more than return to play. He flashed elements of the physicality and skill that made him so dominant before requiring knee cartilage replacement surgery. Landeskog earned 13 minutes and 16 seconds of ice time over 18 shifts. There is expected rust after an almost three-year NHL hiatus.

But he looked solid.

It is no coincidence Colorado has failed to make a deep postseason run since Landeskog exited the lineup. His leadership and on-ice presence are irreplaceable. Now, even at partial strength, Landeskog brings exactly what this team needs to recapture a series lead against Dallas.

Hockey is a team sport, and Colorado has plenty of strong pieces surrounding Landeskog. But the Avs wouldn’t advance if not for their captain’s return. No. 92 means everything to the franchise.

Chris Schmaedeke, digital sports editor

Answer: No

If the Avalanche need a player that has not been on the ice for three years to beat the Dallas Stars, Colorado is in big trouble.

The return of captain Gabe Landeskog on Wednesday night is one of the best stories in Colorado sports history and possibly sports history overall. But do the Avs need him to beat the Stars? Absolutely not.

This Avalanche team was playing some of the best hockey in the league rolling into the playoffs. Colorado has talent everywhere. You have last seasons (and this season’s?) Hart Trophy winner, Nathan MacKinnon. Colorado has possibly the best defensemen in the league in Cale Makar. There were also the trade additions of goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle.

Colorado has more than enough to beat Dallas and compete for the Stanley Cup. The return of Landeskog is a mere bonus for the team, but it was never going to be a necessity for the Avalanche to reach their ultimate goal.

While the excitement and emotion of Landeskog being on the ice was impressive, the Avs didn’t seem to feed off of it. The Stars out-shot the Avs 14-5 in the first period of a 2-1 Game 3 overtime loss.

There is still a ton of hockey to be played in this series with Game 4 set for Ball Arena on Saturday. All aspects of a championship team are there for Colorado.

But if they were waiting for the captain to be back on the ice to get into gear, the Stanley Cup dream could be over before it gets started.