DENVER — Gabriel Landeskog, the Colorado Avalanche’s battle-scarred captain, hadn’t found the back of the net in nearly three years. On Saturday night, in a raucous Ball Arena, he snapped that drought with a blistering snap shot, sparking a 4-0 Avalanche thrashing of the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of their Western Conference First Round playoff series. The win knotted the best-of-seven set at 2-2, sending the teams back to Dallas for a pivotal Game 5 on Monday.
Landeskog, 32, has been through hell and back. A right knee injury, mangled in the 2020 playoff bubble and worsened over time, forced him out of the NHL since June 26, 2022, when the Avalanche clinched the Stanley Cup against Tampa Bay. Multiple surgeries, including a rare cartilage transplant in May 2023, left him sidelined for 1,032 days. He returned in Game 3 on April 23, logging six hits in a 2-1 overtime loss, but it was Saturday’s performance that reminded everyone why he wears the “C.”
Midway through the second period, with Colorado up 2-0, Brock Nelson, a deadline acquisition, streaked into the Dallas zone and slid a pass to Landeskog in the high slot. The captain didn’t hesitate. His wrist shot screamed past Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger’s glove at 13:10, making it 3-0. The crowd of 18,132 erupted, chanting “LAND-Y! LAND-Y!” as Landeskog’s teammates mobbed him against the boards. Nathan MacKinnon, his longtime linemate, wrapped him in a bear hug on the bench.
The Avalanche never looked back. Logan O’Connor opened the scoring with a shorthanded breakaway at 12:39 of the first, stealing the puck from Stars defenseman Thomas Harley and roofing it stick-side. MacKinnon added a power-play one-timer with 24 seconds left in the opening frame, capitalizing on a tweaked top unit that included Landeskog. Samuel Girard sealed the deal in the third at 10:46, with Landeskog earning an assist by battling 6-foot-7 Dallas defenseman Lian Bichsel in front of the net to screen Casey DeSmith, who had relieved Oettinger.
Mackenzie Blackwood, in net for Colorado, stopped all 23 shots he faced, earning his first career playoff shutout. The Avalanche outshot Dallas 48-23, dominating puck possession and tilting the ice in a way they hadn’t in the series’ first three games. Oettinger, under siege, made 31 saves through two periods before Dallas coach Pete DeBoer pulled him for rest ahead of Game 5.
Landeskog’s goal was his first since June 20, 2022, when he scored twice in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. His assist on Girard’s tally gave him a two-point night in just his second game back, playing 14:37 on the second line alongside Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin. Colorado’s power play, 0-for-6 in Game 3, went 1-for-3, while their penalty kill stifled Dallas’ lone chance.
The series, now a best-of-three, shifts to American Airlines Center for Game 5. Colorado, the No. 3 seed in the Central Division, finished the regular season 49-29-4. Dallas, the No. 2 seed, went 52-21-9. The Avalanche’s last playoff shutout before Saturday was a 7-0 win over Tampa Bay in Game 2 of the 2022 Final.
Landeskog played two conditioning games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on April 11 and 12, scoring a goal and an assist. He was activated off long-term injured reserve on April 21. The Avalanche went 2-for-13 on the power play through the series’ first four games. Dallas killed a four-minute double minor in Game 3’s overtime, setting up Tyler Seguin’s game-winner.