Avalanche’s Gabriel Landeskog could return in Game 2 vs. Stars, but there’s a catch

The Colorado Avalanche are off and running in their quest for the Stanley Cup after routing the Dallas Stars 5-1 in Game 1 of the first round on Saturday night. The Avs looked every bit like a contender for the Cup, but they still have plenty of work to do in order to get to that point.

The scary thing for the Stars and for any other Avalanche opponents is that Colorado may still be getting a key piece back during these playoffs. The Colorado captain, Gabriel Landeskog, didn’t play in Game 1 but is expected to be back at some point in this series.

Game 3 feels like a logical return date for Landeskog, who has not played since the Stanley Cup Final in 2022 due to complications from a knee injury. That would allow him to get back on the ice for the first time in front of his home fans in Denver.

Of course, this is the playoffs, so that may not work out cleanly. The Avalanche have to do what’s best for them to win each and every game, regardless of where it is. After center Ross Colton left Game 1 against the Stars with a lower-body injury, head coach Jared Bednar may have a hole in his lineup that Landeskog can fill in Game 2 according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

“Bednar also added when asked that if Colton (lower body) can’t go in Game 2 Monday night, Landeskog is a possible option,” LeBrun reported on X, formerly Twitter.

Landeskog was not on the ice for Colorado’s optional skate on Sunday after the Game 1 win, but Bednar said not to be concerned about a setback.

The captain played a couple of games in the AHL for the Colorado Eagles near the end of the regular season in order to get some game action in before the playoffs.

Having Landeskog back in the lineup will make the Avalanche even more dangerous and explosive as they try to get past the Stars in a highly-anticipated series. When the captain returns remains to be seen, but it seems like it could be very soon.