SPORTS LANDESKOG OUT INDEFINITELY WITH LOWER-BODY INJURY
After a brilliant start to the season, the Avalanche is now missing two-thirds of its top line and facing adversity for the first time.
Left winger Gabe Landeskog will be out “indefinitely” with an undisclosed lower-body injury, the team announced Tuesday. Coach Jared Bednar said the Avs’ captain isn’t likely to return before linemate Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen, originally listed as “week to week,” has missed the past two games with a left leg injury and won’t return this week, Bednar said.
As for Landeskog, “He’s going to miss some significant time here,” Bednar said. “I really don’t have a timetable on him.”
Landeskog played in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Calgary and practiced Sunday. The Avs were off Monday. Bednar said Landeskog has been nursing an injury that flared up Sunday and he was further evaluated Monday.
The Avs, who continue a three-game homestand Wednesday against Florida, might have also lost forward Colin Wilson, who skated off the ice Tuesday with an injury.
“He tweaked something, so he won’t be a player for us in the next game, anyway,” said Bednar, who later recalled forward Jayson Megna of the Colorado Eagles to replace Wilson.
Top-line center Nathan MacKinnon practiced Tuesday with Nazem Kadri on his left side and Joonas Donskoi on his right. Kadri had been the second-line center, with Donskoi on his right wing.
“Obviously, missing Gabe and Mikko, we’re a worse team, but hopefully we can kind of weather the storm for a few weeks before they get back,” MacKinnon said.
“It’s an opportunity for guys to step in and play some bigger roles and have some more minutes,” Kadri said. “This year we’ve been talking about our depth and acquiring guys and guys being able to play up and down the lineup. Here’s a perfect opportunity.”
Colorado’s other lines Tuesday featured Tyson Jost as the second-line center, with left wing Andre Burakovsky and J.T. Compher; Vladislav Kamenev between Wilson and Valeri NiNuggets chushkin; and fourth-line center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare with Matt Nieto and Matt Calvert.
Kamenev has yet to play this season, serving as a healthy scratch in all 11 games. “For sure, it’s bad when guys get injured, but I’m happy (that) I get a chance to play, finally. I’m ready for that,” Kamenev said.
Footnotes. Compher and goalie Philipp Grubauer were back practicing after taking Sunday off. … The Avs (8-2-1) entered Tuesday’s games atop the Western Conference with 17 points, tied with Edmonton (8-3-1), which has played one more game. Colorado has a conference-most eight regulation/ overtime wins (ROW).