Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog scored in his return Sunday afternoon in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals.
It was his first game since Mar. 6, returning after undergoing surgery to address an injury sustained while taking a puck to the groin.
“I took a 96-mile-per-hour slapshot to the [groin], and it hurt,” Landeskog said via Corey Masisak of the Denver Post.
“So yeah, had a quick surgery to fix some things and we’re good to go.”
#Avs Gabe Landeskog missed three regular seasons because of a knee injury. His comeback story is incredible.
— Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) March 22, 2026
After broken ribs and “a 96-mile-per-hour slapshot in the nuts” … maybe the hockey gods could chill out a bit with adding new painful chapters.https://t.co/NVfkZAt7aQ
Landeskog ended up on the wrong end of a Cale Makar shot and finished the game on Mar. 6 but was ruled out week-to-week afterwards.
The injury was the latest in a series of ailments for the 33-year-old Swede. He missed approximately one month with broken ribs after crashing into the net on Jan. 4. Landeskog also missed three consecutive seasons from 2022 to 2025 due to knee injuries, returning last April for five playoff games.
He has nine goals and 20 assists for 29 points in 47 games so far this season while averaging 16:29 of ice time per game.
The Avs will be back in action on Tuesday evening in Pittsburgh against the Penguins.
