Takeaways: Landeskog’s memorable night leads Avalanche to series-tying win
After 1,041 days, Colorado Avalanche captain had the chance to hear the goal horn bellow at Ball Arena, to raise his hands high while teammates mobbed him on the sheet, to hear his name announced to the delight of a raucous Denver crowd.
It had been 1,041 days since Gabriel Landeskog scored a goal on NHL ice. One-thousand-forty-one days since the Colorado Avalanche captain had the chance to hear the goal horn bellow at Ball Arena, to raise his hands high while teammates mobbed him out on the sheet, to hear his name announced to the delight of a raucous Denver crowd.
The veteran winger got a pared-down preview of the feeling two weeks ago, when he potted his first goal in three years during an AHL conditioning stint. But Saturday night, under the big-league lights, Landeskog truly got his moment, scoring his first NHL goal since June 2022 to help the Avalanche claim a convincing Game 4 win over the Dallas Stars.
It was no gift either, not a puck haphazardly deflected off a skate or a tap-in at the netfront — it was vintage No. 92.
Moved up to play alongside Brock Nelson on the second line Saturday night, after making his return in Game 3 as part of Colorado’s bottom six, Landeskog was flying from the jump. Midway through Game 4, during a second period that had seen Stars netminder Jake Oettinger repeatedly thwart the Avs attackers’ best efforts, Nelson picked up the puck behind Colorado’s net and set off down the left wing.
He danced past two Stars, drawing defender Ilya Lyubushkin towards the wall, before dishing to an open Landeskog in the slot. The captain made no mistake, collecting the puck, winding up, and blasting it by Oettinger’s glove with authority.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371986433112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371986433112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371986433112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-757044" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6371986433112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/6371986433112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/avalanches-landeskog-wires-one-home-for-first-goal-since-2022/" }); });
He was mobbed by teammates against the glass, then again at the bench, the crowd raining ‘Landy! Landy!’ chants down on the ice. After the dust settled on what wound up a statement 4-0 Avs win, he took a breath and reflected on the weight of the moment.
“It means a lot,” Landeskog said of the goal post-game. “Obviously, I’ve envisioned scoring again for a long time. And there were obviously days where I didn’t know if I was ever going to get to score again. So, it feels good. It’s a tight playoff series and a big game here at home — to get to do it in front of our fans means a lot.
“Hopefully more to come.”
It wasn’t No. 92’s only contribution on the night. Landeskog chipped in a period later, too, coming up key on Colorado’s fourth goal of the game.
Midway through the third, the captain picked up the puck behind the net, controlling it with one arm while holding off 230-pound defender Lian Bichsel with the other. The puck made its way to defender Samuel Girard at the point, as Landeskog continued to battle with Bichsel at the netfront — that crease chaos wound up the difference, as Girard’s point-shot glanced off Bichsel’s skate and through a distracted Casey DeSmith’s legs for a 4-0 Colorado lead.
After two straight overtime losses coming into Saturday night’s tilt, Landeskog had said before puck-drop that his club hadn’t yet played its best hockey in this series. Amid a dominant Game 4 performance, the captain was asked if they’d finally shown their best.
“Yeah,” he said. “You’re seeing it right now.”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371987660112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371987660112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371987660112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-386370" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6371987660112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/6371987660112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/didnt-know-if-i-was-going-to-get-to-score-again-landeskog-on-his-goal/" }); });
Blackwood, Oettinger on opposite ends of Game 4 goalie battle
It was a wild one for the netminders.
On one end, Colorado’s Mackenzie Blackwood came up with a crucial performance for the Avs, turning in the first playoff shutout of his career. The 28-year-old had four shutouts on the season in 2024-25 — three since joining the Avalanche — the last coming a month ago to the day, against the Los Angeles Kings.
While the squad in front of him came up with a four-goal night, the past two games in this series served as proof enough of the importance of Blackwood’s outing, Dallas taking Games 2 and 3 with one-goal OT victories.
But on the other end of the sheet, it was surely a frustrating one for Dallas’s star in the cage.
Glance at the score and you could come away thinking it was an off night for Oettinger — in truth, it was one of his finest performances, the Stars’ netminder coming up with a slew of highlight-reel saves as his defenders leave him out to dry time and time again. The flurry culminated in a second period that saw Colorado pour 22 shots on Dallas’s net, with all the Avs’ marquee names getting grade-A cracks at the cage.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371986170112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371986170112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371986170112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-654552" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6371986170112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/6371986170112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/stars-pull-oettinger-bring-in-desmith-to-start-third-period/" }); });
That the home side only led 3-0 after 40 minutes was a testament to the work Oettinger put in. Still, after piecing together a dominant second period that saw him bail his club out repeatedly, Oettinger started the third period on the bench. He finished the night with 31 saves on 34 shots, before DeSmith took over.
“Just for rest, for Monday,” head coach Pete DeBoer said of the bold decision to pull Oettinger. “It just didn’t make sense, in the situation we were in, and how we were playing, to keep Jake in there.”
The Avs finished with 48 shots on the night, more than doubling the Stars’ 23.
MacKinnon, O’Connor continue to pace Avs with special-teams flurry
While it was the headliners who put the game away, it was a fourth-liner who got the winners rolling Saturday.
Midway through the opening period, when it all still sat level and Dallas still had designs on taking a 3-1 lead in this series, a play from depth winger Logan O’Connor broke the game open for Colorado. Half-a-minute into a Stars power play, the puck came to defender Thomas Harley at the Avalanche blue line — as the star rearguard attempted to corral a pass, O’Connor went at him full-tilt, poking the puck free, beelining for the Dallas net, and sniping home the game’s first goal.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371988450112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371988450112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371988450112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-554070" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6371988450112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/6371988450112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/stars-deboer-didnt-make-sense-to-play-oettinger-in-third/" }); });
The unassisted shorthanded masterpiece was O’Connor’s fifth point of this four-game series, leaving him tied for the team lead, despite averaging the 15th-most minutes on the squad per night.
Tied with him at the top of that list is Nathan MacKinnon, who’s been the engine for this Colorado side since Game 1. After putting goals on the board in Games 1 and 2 and finding himself held pointless in Game 3, No. 29 got back on the scoresheet Saturday in memorable fashion, beating Oettinger with a blistering power-play one-timer on the Avs’ second goal of the night.
With the Game 4 marker, MacKinnon now sits tied for the league lead in post-season goal-scoring, having potted at least once in three of four games through the first round so far.
Rantanen yet to break out as Stars’ offence held at bay
On a night that saw both MacKinnon and Landeskog flutter the twine, the former third member of the Avs’ three-headed monster trudged through yet another disappointing evening.
Much was made of Dallas’s deadline blockbuster that brought Mikko Rantanen to town, and of the twist of fate that brought No. 96 into a first-round series with his former club (after Colorado originally traded him to Carolina, who in turn flipped him to the Avs’ division rival).
A two-time 100-point scorer with Colorado, Rantanen collected 18 points through 20 games with Dallas to close out the regular season. Through four games in this first-round bout with his former mates, though, he’s been largely silenced.
The talented Finn has a lone secondary assist to his name so far in Round 1 — albeit a fairly important one, Rantanen having helped spur the play that resulted in Dallas’s Game 3 overtime winner. Outside of that sequence, he’s been held off the board by his former club, going pointless in Games 1 and 2, and again Saturday night in Game 4.
With the series now tied, and a best-of-three remaining, it’s a trend that surely has to be righted if the Stars hope to author another deep run through the West.
