Landeskog accelerates comeback with Avalanche in Game 4 win against Stars

DENVER -- As Gabriel Landeskog talked about his comeback from a knee injury recently, Colorado Avalanche teammate Nathan MacKinnon laughed in his head.

“He was like, ‘I don’t think there’s a difference between a month off or three years off,’” MacKinnon said. “And I was thinking like, ‘Hmm. Like, whatever.’ I was like, ‘OK.’ But he was right, you know? He looks like he’s been out for four weeks.”

The Avalanche captain had a goal and an assist in 14:37 of ice time in a 4-0 win against the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round at Ball Arena on Saturday, tying the best-of-7 series 2-2 and leaving everyone dumbfounded.

How could he do this?

“It’s crazy, honestly,” MacKinnon said. “It’s beyond all of our expectations.”

Landeskog hadn’t played since June 26, 2022, when the Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

When the 32-year-old forward returned for Game 3 on Wednesday, no one really knew what to expect -- not just because of his knee, but because of his conditioning and timing. He was jumping straight into the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the third line and the second power play.

But he led the Avalanche with six hits in 13:16 of ice time in a 2-1 overtime loss, and coach Jared Bednar was impressed with his poise with the puck, so he was promoted to the second line and the first power play for Game 4.

“This morning, I woke up, and it’s just, ‘No excuses,’” Landeskog said. “I don’t want to make this about me missing X amount of days or whatever. It’s a huge playoff game for us and must-win here at home.”

The goal came at 13:10 of the second period, when Landeskog took a pass from center Brock Nelson and snapped a shot from the high slot past the glove of goalie Jake Oettinger, giving Colorado a 3-0 lead.

It was his first goal since June 20, 2022, when he scored twice in a 6-2 loss at Tampa Bay in Game 3 of the Cup Final.

“I’ve envisioned scoring again for a long time, and then there were obviously days where I didn’t know if I was ever going to get to score again,” Landeskog said. “So obviously it feels good.”

Ball Arena erupted. Landeskog raised his arms into the air, pumped his fists and smiled. His teammates embraced him.

“I think I blacked out for a few seconds and was just looking around for my teammates,” Landeskog said. “But yeah, pretty amazing feeling. Just the genuine excitement from my teammates means a lot.”

Landeskog gave fist bumps to his teammates along the bench, then MacKinnon slapped the top of his helmet, wrapped his right arm around his neck, pulled him close and gave him two pats on the back.

“We’re very close,” MacKinnon said. “I’m at his house almost every day. It was just kind of more than just a playoff goal, I think. It was a life goal.”

After the goal was announced, the fans roared and chanted, “LAND-Y! LAND-Y! LAND-Y!” The video screen showed Landeskog on the bench, and the fans roared and chanted again.

“I’m proud of him regardless of if he scores or not, just because I know what he’s gone through and I know how difficult that was,” Bednar said. “But I mean, I think that just takes it to another level. You know that he wants to come back. He wants to contribute the way he did in the past, and he’s off to a great start.”

The assist came at 10:46 of the third period, when Landeskog held off defenseman Lian Bichsel to maintain possession of the puck, then battled with Bichsel in front of the net to set a screen on a goal by defenseman Samuel Girard. Landeskog is 6-foot-1, 215 pounds. Bichsel is 6-7, 231.

That was something Landeskog could not do to test the knee before returning to play. Now he knows it can hold up.

“He’s a big, strong guy, physical player and hard to play against,” Landeskog said. “Yeah. I mean, I was trying to get in front of their goalie, and he was trying to get me out of there. It was a good battle. Yeah. No, I guess that answers that question.”

Can you imagine how it would help Colorado if Landeskog can look like his old self?

“I mean, if he can come back and be even the slightest thing of what he was before …” defenseman Cale Makar said, his voice trailing off. “To put it in perspective, coming back three years, that’s incredible, especially just coming straight into playoff hockey. For him to be able to do that, we’ll take anything we can get. It’s just nice to have him around the room, and obviously he’s playing really well.”

MacKinnon said the Avalanche had a great little talk after the game.

“There’s only one Gabe Landeskog in the world, that kind of person and player,” MacKinnon said. “We missed him. There was a big hole in our room for three years, and it’s nice to have him back. It means the world to all of us.”