Avalanche Captain Gabe Landeskog Scores First Regular-Season Goal Since 2022
Wednesday morning will be a good one for Luke Landeskog, who was already asleep Tuesday night when his father, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog, scored his first goal of the 2025–26 season. This goal marked Landeskog's first regular-season tally in 1,347 days.
After having two goals disallowed due to offside calls, Landeskog finally opened his account in a 4-1 victory against the Anaheim Ducks at Ball Arena.
“(Luke) keeps asking me, and it’s just been, ‘No, not yet,'” Landeskog said. “This will feel good.”
The Avalanche scored on the first shift, but the Ducks tied the game 1-1 by midway through the second period and controlled much of the play. Then, a strong sequence by the top line led to Landeskog being in the right place to clean up a rebound from Valeri Nichushkin’s shot taken from the high slot.
Colorado faced some misfortune early in the play when Sam Malinski’s stick snapped during a shot attempt, but the broken stick accidentally redirected the puck to Nichushkin, leaving the Ducks' defense off balance.
“He’s had some tough luck,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “He’s been chipping in, but finally gets one on the board that counts. I loved the ovation from the crowd. Big goal for us.”
This goal was Landeskog’s first in the regular season since March 5, 2022, representing an important milestone in his comeback.
Author's summary: Gabe Landeskog’s first regular-season goal in over three years proved crucial for the Avalanche, signaling a meaningful step forward after a series of setbacks this season.