No guarantees, but Gabriel Landeskog is itching to return to the Avalanche lineup Friday for their pivotal game against Arizona at the Pepsi Center.
“I can only answer for myself. I feel good, I feel great, I’m ready to go and I guess we’ll find out tomorrow,… the Colorado captain said Thursday after taking part in an optional practice while wearing a regular jersey. “We’ve been on the ice for a week, 10 days, and I’ve been getting better every day and stronger and more confident.…
Coach Jared Bednar said Landeskog’s playing status would be determined after the morning skate.
“He’s definitely feeling better,… Bednar said. “He’s a possibility for tomorrow. He’s exactly what you’d expect from our captain, putting in long, hard hours in the training room and in the gym and doing everything he possibly can to get ready.…
Landeskog was expected to miss 4-6 weeks after sustaining a shoulder injury in a collision with Dallas goalie Ben Bishop on March 7. He credited the training and medical staffs for enabling him to arrive at this point in three weeks.
“The medical guys have done a great job, at the start obviously assessing what it was and what we had to do to move forward,… he said. “We put together a plan and were grinding away, day after day. It sucks, especially this time of year. It sucks being out, but we’ve taken it one day at a time and now we’re here.
“We want to be smart, we want to make sure that we took care of this the right way. I feel good today, obviously ahead of schedule. That’s always a good thing.…
The Avalanche have gone 6-2-1 -- 5-0-1 in the past six games -- without Landeskog, their third-leading scorer with 33 goals and 69 points. They defeated Vegas 4-3 on Wednesday to take a two-point lead over Arizona for the second wild card playoff position in the Western Conference. Both teams have five games remaining.
Wednesday’s NHL.com GAME STORY
The Avalanche and Coyotes split the first two games of the season series, both in Arizona. The return of Landeskog would give Colorado a significant emotional boost.
“It never hurts to have your captain and your leader back in your locker room,… Bednar said. “I’m hoping he can play tomorrow and be ready to go and help us win. It’s a huge game. It’s two points in the standings, the tiebreaker’s on the line with Arizona, games are running out.
“We need every win we can get and this one tomorrow is against a team we’re fighting – or one of the teams we’re fighting – for this playoff spot. It’s going to be a big game; it’s a playoff game.…
Said Landeskog: “It’s a huge one. For us, it’s just making sure we know what’s at stake and knowing what position we’re in, what position they’re in. We've done a good job of putting ourselves in a position to make sure this one is important.
“For me, it’s not only a playoff push but it’s after that too. We’re looking for a long spring here and that’s really what’s been pushing me and what’s been driving me to come back -- wanting to come back and wanting to help the team -- but especially in April, May and June, and see what we can do.…
The Avalanche have gone 2-0-1 without Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, the team’s second-leading scorer with 31 goals and 87 points. Rantanen, who sustained an upper-body injury March 21 in Dallas, wasn’t on the ice Thursday.
"I don't really have an update on him," Bednar said. "He's still doing his work in the training room and gym, trying to get himself ready. He's just getting evaluated day-to-day."