Avalanche captain Landeskog receives 4-game suspension
Sensing what was to come, Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog practiced as the fourth line’s extra forward Monday, after a telephone hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Landeskog, who normally plays left wing on Colorado’s top line, declined comment after practice as league disciplinarians decided whether his illegal cross check on Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk in Saturday’s 3-2 loss at the Pepsi Center warranted further punishment.
Hours later, word came that Landeskog will serve a four-game suspension, forcing him to miss the Avs’ remaining homestand against the Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils, Dallas Stars and Buffalo Sabres.
This is Landeskog’s third career suspension, each coming in successive years beginning with his two-game suspension for a November 2015 illegal check to the head on Boston forward Brad Marchand. In March 2016, Landeskog served a three-game suspension for cross checking Anaheim defenseman Simon Despres to the head.
“I think it could go either way, personally, for me, looking at the video,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said of Landeskog’s cross check to the side of Tkachuk’s head. “It wasn’t intentional, so sometimes you get a break on that.”
Bednar replaced Landeskog on the Nathan MacKinnon-centered line with left wing Sven Andrighetto. Mikko Rantanen will continue to play right wing on that line.