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Gabriel Landeskog scores 1st regular-season goal in 1,347 days, couldn’t wait to share news with son

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DENVER — For Gabriel Landeskog, it wasn’t so much relief over ending a regular-season goal-scoring drought that had stretched to 1,347 days.

It was more about the excitement for the Colorado Avalanche captain of getting to tell his biggest fan. Only, he had to wait to deliver the news since his young son, Luke, was sleeping after dad knocked one in.

Landeskog’s second-period goal in a 4-1 win over Anaheim on Tuesday night was his first score in the regular season since March 5, 2022. He missed the last three regular seasons due to a knee injury before making his return in the playoffs in April. He scored a goal in the Dallas series.

“My son will be happy (Wednesday) when he wakes up,” Landeskog, who turns 33 on Nov. 23, said after the game. “He keeps asking me (about scoring) and I’m like, ‘No, not yet.’”

There have been plenty of close calls, though. He’s had two goals overturned this season after challenges by opposing teams. It’s become such a thing he almost was anticipating a Ducks challenge.

“I thought my stick maybe caught the goalie’s stick — goaltender interference or something,” the left wing cracked. “I got back to the bench and obviously nothing to argue there. Felt good.”

So did the cheers from the capacity crowd after he lined in a rebound off a shot from Valeri Nichushkin. That goal, those cheers, were of course worth the long, arduous journey to get back.

Before his return seven months ago in the playoffs, Landeskog’s last NHL appearance was June 26, 2022, when he and the Avalanche beat Tampa Bay to capture the Stanley Cup. He’s dealt with a chronically injured right knee, which led to cartilage transplant surgery on May 10, 2023.

Now, the Avalanche have their captain back in full capacity. He’s led the Avalanche to an NHL-best 11-1-5 (27 points) start.

“He’s just the voice of reason,” goaltender Scott Wedgewood said of Landeskog, who’s in his 14th season as captain. “He’s just a calm, collected human being. ... We all know the story and what he’s gone through. It radiates off him.”

Landeskog is steadily working his way back into the form that made him an All-Star in 2018-19. He’s playing on the third line and averaging 13 minutes, 43 seconds of ice time per game. (He’s averaged 19:18 over his career since being selected No. 2 overall in 2011.)

As for how he’s feeling, he said it’s, “not perfect. I don’t think anybody’s perfect during the season. You’ve got bumps and bruises along the way. Going into training camp is probably as good as you’re going to feel all year.”

He added that, “bad days aren’t bad at all anymore. There are things I have to do on a day-to-day basis to make sure I feel good and feel good enough to play. You’re never going to be 100%. I don’t think many guys are. No different with me.

“But I would say the difference between the good and the bad days are smaller now than they have been in years past, for sure.”

The goal-scoring slump weighed on him a little bit, he acknowledged. But he found other ways to contribute, including a fight with Tampa Bay’s Charle-Edouard D’Astous in a 3-2 win over the Lightning last week. Landeskog has four assists this season.

“I try not to focus on the outcome, just kind of surrender that and focus on what I can do,” said Landeskog, who plans to play for Sweden at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in February. “Having said that, you like to go home and know that you at least got one on the scoresheet.”

Notes: Nichushkin suffered a lower-body injury Tuesday that will cause him to miss some time, coach Jared Bednar said before an optional practice Wednesday. “I just don’t know how much.” ... Mackenzie Blackwood is slated to start in goal Thursday against Buffalo.

Hockey News

Canadiens: An Excellent Test

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After a resounding defeat against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday evening, the Montreal Canadiens will try to bounce back on Thursday night when they take on the Dallas Stars at the Bell Centre. If the Habs have struggled against the Kings for the last few years, they’ve not done much better against the Texans, only winning three of the last 10 duels. They were victorious in the previous game, a 3-1 win last January.

Tonight’s tilt will be the first of two meetings between the two sides; the second will take place in Dallas on January 4. The Stars are currently second in the Central Division and fourth in the league with 23 points, just one point ahead of the Sainte-Flanelle, but they have played one more game. The visitors are currently enjoying a three-game winning streak and are flying high after winning their first game in Ottawa in nearly a decade.

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After sitting out the last two games, Jakub Dobes will be back in the net for the first time since his emotional reaction to the 4-3 overtime defeat against the New Jersey Devils. The rookie goaltender has faced the Stars only once in his young career, in the win mentioned above. He had stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced and was named the second star of the tilt behind Alex Newhook, who had scored the game-winning goal. Historically, Samuel Montembeault has also had success against the visitors with a 2-2-1 record with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.

The Stars’ starter has not been announced yet, but Jake Oettinger has played 12 of their 17 games. The netminder is expected to be named to Team USA for the upcoming Olympics, even though his stats have not been as good as they usually are. Against Montreal, he’s got a 5-2-0 record, with a 2.48 GAA and a .907 GAA. As for backup Casey DeSmith, he’s 3-2-2 with a 2.38 GAA and a .921 SV.

While captain Nick Suzuki wasn’t at practice yesterday, he’s expected to play tonight, which is good news for the Canadiens since he’s got 14 points in 10 games against the visitors. Brendan Gallagher is the Habs’ second most productive player with seven points in 17 games, while Noah Dobson completes the top three with six points in eight games.

Tyler Seguin is the Stars’ most productive forward against the Tricolore with 31 points in 35 games, but he has slowed down considerably in the last few years and only has seven points in 17 games this season. Matt Duchene comes in second place with 22 points in 27 games, but an upper-body injury currently sidelines him, and he has only played four games this season. Top scorer Mikko Rantanen has 14 points in 15 duels with the Canadiens and is having a great season so far with 23 points in 17 games. Montreal will also want to keep a close eye on Jason Robertson, who has seven points in eight games against the Habs.

This game will be a good measuring stick for the Canadiens, given the Stars’ ranking and the fact that they’ve made the Western Conference final for the last three seasons. The Canadiens will also need to be disciplined, as the visitors have the second-best power play in the league, with a 32.8% success rate. Their penalty killing unit is nowhere near as good as they’ve got the seventh-worst success rate in the league at just 73.6%.

This could be just what the doctor ordered for the Habs’ man-advantage since it hasn’t produced a single goal in the last three games. While the top unit can move the puck with ease, lately, they’ve tended to pass the puck too much for too long instead of just shooting the puck. A goal doesn’t always have to come from a spectacular build-up, and the young Habs would do well to keep it simple at times.

Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch the game in French on RDS and in English on TSN2 and Victory +.

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