Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog soaks in the moment after scoring 1st goal in nearly 3 years in Game 4

DENVER — Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog took a moment — a few even — to let the reality that he scored his first NHL goal in nearly three years sink in.

It was all so much to absorb — his teammates mobbing him on the ice, his good friend Nathan MacKinnon bear-hugging him on the bench, the crowd thunderously chanting his name.

These were all things he wasn't sure he'd ever experience again as he worked his way back from a chronically injured right knee.

''There were moments of doubt," said Landeskog, who also had an assist as the Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 4-0 on Saturday night in Game 4 to tie the first-round series. "I think it would be foolish not to take a second and enjoy it and really soak it in.

"The most reflection will probably come when it's all said and done one day, and you understand what the journey has been like, and the ups and downs and the great days and great games and what-not. But for now, yeah, you enjoy it.''

It was almost a surreal scene when Landeskog's second-period snap shot found the back of the net after a pass from Brock Nelson. The crowd instantly erupted and Landeskog's teammates on the ice rushed over to celebrate. The Avalanche bench was elated, too, as he passed through for glove taps — and eventually that bear hug from MacKinnon.

This was Landeskog's first goal since June 20, 2022, against Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Final. He helped the Avalanche hoist the Cup six days later.

The 32-year-old Landeskog was sidelined for three regular seasons. He made his return in Game 3 — some 1,032 days since his last NHL game.

''It's amazing how quickly he's picked up. It's crazy, honestly. It's beyond all of our expectations,'' MacKinnon said. "I was kind of laughing in my head, but he's like, 'I don't think there's a difference between a month off or three years off.' And I was thinking, like, ‘Hmm, whatever. OK.' But he was right. It looks like he's been out for four weeks.

''It just shows if you're good at hockey, you're good at hockey. He can come back and he's one of our best players out there. It's amazing. We missed him.''

Landeskog's injury traces back to the 2020 ''bubble'' season when he was accidentally sliced above the knee by the skate of teammate Cale Makar in a playoff game against Dallas. Landeskog eventually underwent a cartilage transplant procedure on May 10, 2023, with no timetable for a return — or even if he could return.

''It was kind of more than just a playoff goal,'' MacKinnon said. ''I think it was a life goal. It meant a lot to all of us for him to score a goal, and then he had an assist.''

After the game, his teammates made Landeskog wear the oversized Avalanche hat, which is part of the celebration to recognize the team's top player in a win. To think, that particular celebration was his idea.

''It's been quite entertaining seeing guys put it on and wear it and look quite silly,'' said Landeskog, whose team plays Game 5 on Monday in Dallas. ''And then I got to put it on and guys always joke about how big my head is, so it was quite snug on me. But it was fun to finally put it on, no doubt.''

He remains at a loss to explain all of this.

''Every day, you're trying to improve, no matter if that's in the gym or on the ice or whatever," said Landeskog, who logged 14:37 of ice time Saturday and had three shots. "There's no difference now that I'm healthy and back in the lineup.

"This morning, I woke up and it's just no excuses. I don't want to make this about me missing X-amount of days or whatever. It's a huge playoff game for us, a must-win here at home and and I think our team played that way, and played real hard and real well. I think I was no different than anybody else tonight. I thought we all brought our ‘A' game.''

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl