Avalanche expecting energy boost returning home for Game 3 against Stars

DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche are satisfied returning home after splitting the first two games of the Western Conference First Round against the Dallas Stars.

Game 3 of the best-of-7 series is at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET; Victory+, ESPN, ALT, TVAS2, SN360). The Avalanche went 26-12-3 on home ice during the regular season.

"It's really exciting," forward Jack Drury said. "Playing at home in the playoffs gives you a big boost, I think, every game. We got to stay present for and prepare slightly differently, but being at home will give us a big energy boost, for sure."

Colorado lost 4-3 in overtime of Game 2 at American Airlines Center on Monday. They won 5-1 in Game 1 on Saturday.

"We went in there, got one win. It's great," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "Would love to have two. We didn't. Glad it's not 2-0 them, so I think we're in a good spot, right? We did what we had to do on the road, and now we get to come home and take care of business."

The Avalanche still aren't happy returning home coming off a loss, particularly one that saw them blow a lead twice, including 4-3 in the third period.

"Still have to mentally reset," forward Logan O'Connor said. "I think, given the circumstances of the game, we definitely feel as though we would have liked a better outcome. There's a lot of things we can learn from that game. I think we got on our heels there in the third period."

Another potential lift for the Avalanche could come from the return of captain Gabriel Landeskog. The forward was activated from injured reserve Monday and skated in warmups before not playing. He hasn't played an NHL game since June 26, 2022, when he had an assist in a 2-1 series-clinching victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

"He's just such a great leader within the locker room," O'Connor said. "He has everyone's respect. Anytime he talks, [it's an] everyone-listens-type thing, and it's a huge motivating factor for a group.

"His presence, it's hard to replicate. It's sort of a group effort that we've tried to do over the last couple of years, whereas 'Landy', just having the 'C', the type of player he is, the type of person he is. I think when the time comes, if it comes, there will be a huge boost for our group, and we're really hoping that happens soon."

Landeskog's debut could be part of several changes for the Avalanche. One particular area of focus for Bednar is the second line, which hasn't done enough in his eyes through the first two games.

"We're thinking about it right now, because we need to get some offense out of those guys," Bednar said. "I think they've been a responsible defending line, which is great. You're going to win some matchups, you're going to lose some, you're going to break even on some, right? But a second line is also required [to] or it's very important that they create some offense, and they haven't been creating much offense as a line, so we might have to think about switching some things around for Game 3."