Copyright The Denver Post
The Colorado Avalanche was missing some collective spark early on Tuesday night. Then the captain helped the Avs find their way. While the broad canvas of his regular season remains a work in progress, Gabe Landeskog is finding ways to positively influence the best team in the NHL right now. “It’s awesome,” Avs forward Ross Colton said of having No. 92 back shortly after a 3-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Ball Arena. “I mean, you saw it tonight. I felt like we came out kind of flat. They were playing well. Then he steps up and fights — kind of juices the building, juices us. Then, at the end of the game, you see him out 6-on-5 creating turnovers. “I just love everything about his game. I didn’t get to play with him last year when he came back because I was hurt, but I just try to be a sponge with everything he does.” He’s not the 200-foot, all-around monster that he was before the series of knee injuries. Not yet. And maybe not ever. But this version of the captain is adding value. Landeskog engaged in his first regular-season fight since March 3, 2022, when he dropped the gloves with Tampa Bay rookie Charle-Edouard D’Astous just 5:43 into Tuesday night’s game. The Lightning had a quick 1-0 lead, and there just wasn’t a lot of juice in the building. Most fights can be overrated, but this one wasn’t staged. And it wasn’t just the fight. While his teammates were grasping for ways to get engaged, Landeskog looked more like the younger version of himself against the Lightning than he has on some nights this year. “He was great,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “He got a couple days rest here. We kept him off the ice, and that was one of the most energized games he’s played. It’s a battle for him still to get to the top of his game. “So when we get him the rest, he seems to be playing better. His competitiveness and his commitment to our team and the detail that he plays with has been there every game.” Landeskog has played in all 14 games. He still doesn’t have a goal, though one was controversially wiped off his ledger in Utah. He has four assists, including one when he and Victor Olofsson combined to help create what became the latter’s second goal of the night and gave Colorado a 2-1 lead against Tampa. Four points in 14 games doesn’t stand out, but this team is far more focused — particularly without the puck — at the start of this season than it has been the previous two. Landeskog has certainly had some influence on that. There are plenty of other reasons why the Avs are atop the NHL standings in both points (21) and points percentage (.750). Health, particularly among the top-nine forwards, is a big one. Scott Wedgewood’s play is a big one. Having two Hart Trophy candidates in Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas is another obvious one. But the closest this team has come to posting a dud was in Boston, and that was still a one-goal game. Landeskog hasn’t had the same burst in his skating stride every night, but it’s there in flashes. It was there more than the typical game this season on Tuesday night against the Lightning. He helped coax some of his teammates into it as well. Olofsson was the star and now has five goals in the past five games. He’s been playing with Landeskog on the third line in those five contests. “It’s great,” Olfosson said. “He’s obviously a very skilled player, but just the way he competes every night. It definitely gets me going even more. I just want to follow his work ethic. He’s so experienced in every aspect of the game, and he can do it all.” Bednar decided to flip Colton and Landeskog five games ago. The captain has handled the demotion with the grace expected from a world-class leader. It’s all little things right now. The defensive aptitude. The leadership. The fight. This team has been a Stanley Cup contender without him the past couple of seasons. With all of the other key offensive weapons healthy, the Avs don’t need Landeskog to drive the offense. But there are nights when even the world-class talents on this roster need their captain. And he’s finding ways to chip in for the best team in the NHL. “I’m really proud of him,” Bednar said. “He played really good tonight. He’s engaged physically, gets in a fight. He’s doing all the little things to help our team.”
