The Colorado Avalanche went duck hunting on Tuesday night as they took on the second-best team in the Western Conference. The Anaheim Ducks came into Denver on a seven-game winning streak and two points back from the Avalanche. It was a fast and exciting game, but the Avs may have lost a player. Colorado ultimately would win 4–1 and walk away four points ahead of the Ducks.

View from the Mountaintop

For the first time in 1,347 days, captain Gabriel Landeskog scored a goal. His last goal was on March 5, 2022, against the Calgary Flames. Why is this such a big deal? Knee surgery kept Landeskog from playing for three seasons. Since Landeskog’s official return to the regular season, the Swede has been snake-bitten. He has had two goals overturned because of an offside call. One was against the Utah Mammoth, and the other was this last Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. Landeskog did score one goal against the Dallas Stars in his playoff return and one goal against the Henderson Silver Knights (VGK) during his conditioning loan.

Colorado was dominating the offensive zone compared to the Ducks. The Avalanche had 16 high-danger chances compared to the Ducks’ 12. The Avalanche started applying pressure to the net early in the game. Goaltender Lukas Dostal has a low save percentage (.708) from the area, so they had done their homework. Three of the four goals came from the high-danger zone for the Avalanche.

Forward Valerie Nichuskin left the game after only two shifts in the third period with a lower-body injury. TNT initially reported that he was no longer on the bench, and then he never returned. It is unclear what happened to him, but losing him for any amount of time hurts. Nichushkin has five goals and six assists in 16 games so far this season. It’s more about the treat that he brings in some situations than the points. He can drive the puck to the net, and it causes complete chaos in front of the crease.

Up Next

Colorado will take on the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday at 7 p.m. MT. The game will air on Altitude Sports and KTVD (My20).