Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog won't play in Monday night's Game 2 in Dallas, despite being activated off of injured reserve.
The team announced Landeskog's activation from IR early Monday afternoon, opening the door to a Game 2 return. Landeskog took part in warmups ahead of game time at the American Airlines Center in Dallas but he was scratched from the lineup when it was announced closer to face-off.
How we're lining up. #GoAvsGo | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/fYVhVvpDGS
— x - Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 22, 2025
Landeskog, now 32, has not played in an NHL game since June 26, 2022, when he and the Avalanche beat Tampa Bay to win the Stanley Cup.
A chronic right knee injury that led to two surgeries kept him off the ice through multiple attempts to get back. He did a two-game conditioning stint with the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles earlier this month to take another step forward in the process.
Adding Landeskog is another boost for the Avalanche, who won the series opener 5-1 against the shorthanded Stars. Dallas is without top defenseman Miro Heiskanen after his knee surgery and leading goal-scorer Jason Robertson, who was injured in the final game of the regular season.
After going through warm-ups, Gabe Landeskog is a scratch for tonight's game 2 and will NOT play. What a plot twist. #Avs @DenverChannel https://t.co/LQccHFxjQn
— Lionel Bienvenu (@lionelbienvenu) April 22, 2025
- The Denver7 Sports team had a lively discussion about whether the Avs should put Landeskog into the lineup in Dallas – or wait to let the captain have his moment in front of the home crowd in Game 3 at Ball Arena. Hear that conversation in our playoff preview in the video player below:
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl