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Rantanen eyes weekend return; Landeskog is skating again |
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Rick Sadowski
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Right wing Mikko Rantanen is setting his sights on a return to the Avalanche lineup Friday or Saturday in the home-and-home series with Chicago.
“Hopefully I can play this weekend,” he said after wearing a regular contact jersey at practice on Tuesday.
Rantanen will miss his 15th game Wednesday when the Avalanche play Edmonton at the Pepsi Center. He sustained an ankle injury at St. Louis on Oct. 21.
"I won't play tomorrow," he said.
Rantanen, who has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in nine games, took part in all the drills for the second day in a row.
"Felt good, I feel better every day," he said. "I just need a couple more days with the team and practicing. It's a long process. Ligament injuries are not always easy to rehab, it takes a lot of work. The medical team has done a good job with me, and I feel good on the ice now.
"We knew it was going to take a while. Especially early in the year, you don't want to go too early and hurt it again and be out more than you're supposed to. You really don't skate for three weeks, so it takes a while to get back in shape.
“I feel pretty good now, so I'll be ready soon. It feels too long when you're out, but it could be worse. We've had a lot of injuries, so it hasn't been easy."
Coach Jared Bednar didn't address the media Tuesday but said Monday he wouldn't rush Rantanen into the lineup.
"I want him to feel comfortable when he's coming in," Bednar said.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog, who has missed 12 games with a lower-body injury, was on the ice for the first time since he was injured Oct. 26 against Anaheim.
Landeskog skated and shot pucks while wearing a non-contact jersey. He was reevaluated by team doctors Monday, but no update was given.
The Avalanche have gone 5-6-1 without Rantanen and Landeskog, two-thirds of the top line with center Nathan MacKinnon. MacKinnon is sixth in the NHL with 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) in 23 games and has 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 12 games without his usual linemates.
Defenseman Erik Johnson, who sustained an upper-body injury Saturday when he was boarded by Toronto forward Alexander Kerfoot, skated Tuesday while wearing a non-contact jersey. Kerfoot was given a two-game suspension Monday by the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Bednar on Monday said Johnson was questionable for Wednesday, and the Avalanche recalled defenseman Calle Rosen from the Colorado Eagles.
The Avalanche also are without forward Colin Wilson, who sustained a lower-body injury Oct. 26 against Anaheim, and forward Matt Calvert, who sustained a head injury Nov. 16 against Vancouver.
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