Avalanche news: Bounce-back win, Blackwood insane save, Landeskog injury update

With the doldrums of winter, the Colorado Avalanche find themselves in a bit of a funk. After a remarkable run during the first three months of the season, the Avs are a pedestrian 4-4-2 in their last 10 games.

While that’s hardly a motive to lose sleep, it is, nonetheless, mildly concerning for the club. Still, there have been some encouraging signs after a disappointing 7-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers last Friday night.

So, let’s get into more detail in this edition of the Avalanche news.

Avalanche get big bounce-back win

The Colorado Avalanche got back on track on Sunday afternoon, taking down the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 at Scotiabank Arena. Most importantly, the game erased a 7-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers a couple of days earlier.

The Avs marched into Toronto, winter storm notwithstanding, and took down the Maple Leafs 4-1. Colorado pretty much won the game without breaking a sweat. It was 2-0 after 20 minutes. The game was well in hand after Brock Nelson scored his hat-trick goal to make the match 4-0.

The three-goal effort for Nelson was his fifth-career hat-trick. The last time he scored thrice in a game was back on March 19, 2022, when he was a member of the New York Islanders.

A late power play spoiled MacKenzie Blackwood’s shutout bid. Still, Blackwood had a fantastic performance. Had it not been for Blackwood, the Maple Leafs could have gotten back into the game. Instead, he shut the door, and the Avalanche got the 35th win of the season.

Blackwood insane save

Blackwood was lucky to get out of Toronto without being arrested for the larceny committed against Auston Matthews. Blackwood stopped Matthews on several occasions, with this particular save being his best of the game.

Here’s a look, as shown on the NHL’s official YouTube channel:

Blackwood ended the game with 32 saves. It was a fantastic outing after giving up 11 goals in his last two games. In particular, the six-pack given up against the Flyers was a tough pill to swallow. However, Blackwood’s performance in Toronto was a great sign of the Avalanche starter rounding back into form.

Landeskog injury update

Insider Pierre LeBrun reported an update on Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog hasn’t played since that scary crash into the net during the game against the Florida Panthers on January 4.

Ladeskog sustained a rib injury, and while it wasn’t overly serious, it has kept the veteran leader sidelined. But as coach Jared Bednar pointed out, Landeskog wants to play in the Olympics in roughly two weeks.

LeBrun tweeted the following:

It seems like Landeskog may not play for the Avalanche before heading to Milano-Cortina. If that’s the case, Colorado will be holding its breath as their captain hits the ice at the Olympics.

Hopefully, Landeskog will be well enough to play for Team Sweden. The European side already has numerous question marks surrounding several key players.

In the meantime, the Avs will continue their East Coast swing on Wednesday as they take on the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.