Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog grateful to return, knows team has work to do

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog was thrilled to be back on the ice for his team on Wednesday night.

Unfortunately, it came in a heartbreaking 2-1 OT loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinal. The Avs are now down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, after back-to-back brutal overtime defeats.

Landeskog met with the media postgame and was reflective on the accomplishment, but also knows Colorado has work to do if they don’t want their season to come to an end way too early.

The captain was asked about not only returning to the ice, but as a leader of the team. He gave an insightful answer, particularly at the end that kind of summed up the emotions of the evening.

Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog following the Game 3 loss:

“We’ve got work to do as a team, and that’s what we’ll do…. very special night, regardless of the outcome. Looking forward to Saturday already.”#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/lOHRFgdJCn

— Denver Sports 104.3 (@DenSports1043) April 24, 2025

“We’ve got work to do as a team, and that’s what we’ll do,” Landeskog said. “Very special night, regardless of the outcome. And looking forward to Saturday already.”

Returning after 1,032 days away from the NHL is remarkable, no matter how you slice it. On the other hand, losing in overtime after having four-minutes of power play time at the end of regulation and OT is tough to stomach. What Gabriel Landeskog did on Wednesday was awesome, he clearly would’ve just much rather had it come in a win.

And if the Avs don’t come through on Saturday, they’re in big trouble. Going down 3-1 in the series, needing to win three games in a row, is not an ideal task. Particularly with two of those games in Dallas.

Landeskog also received a crazy reception from the Ball Arena crowd, getting announced as the last starter of the night with a deafening roar carrying on for about 30 seconds. After that, “Landy” chants came down from more than 18,000 people.

He touched on that feeling as well.

Gabriel Landeskog on what it was like to return to hockey after 3 years and do it in front of the home crowd: pic.twitter.com/X3x7m3DM8E

— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) April 24, 2025

“Yeah, I mean that was amazing,” Landeskog said. “I’m just blessed and very fortunate to be in a position to feel those feelings. It was pretty special. That’s a memory for life.”

Now, Gabriel Landeskog and the Avalanche want to create more memories that involve a deep playoff run. The challenge is tough, trailing 2-1 in the series to the Stars, but not impossible.

Regardless of how it all shakes out, he did it. Gabriel Landeskog came back to the NHL after multiple knee surgeries, including a cartilage replacement. He played 13:16 on Wednesday night — and looked pretty good overall.

Now, the Avalanche need to rally for their captain and find a way to win three of the next four games.

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