Sensing what was to come, Avalanche captain practiced as the fourth line’s extra forward Monday, following a telephone hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Landeskog, who normally plays left wing on Colorado’s top line, declined comment after practice as league disciplinarians decided if his illegal cross check on Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk in Saturday’s 3-2 loss at the warranted further punishment.
Hours later, word came that Landeskog will serve a four-game suspension, forcing him to miss the Avs’ remaining homestand against the , , and . This is Landeskog’s third career suspension, each coming in successive years beginning with his two-game suspension for a November 2015 illegal check to the head on Boston forward Brad Marchand. In March 2016, Landeskog served a three-game suspension for cross checking Anaheim defenseman Simon Despres to the head.
Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog suspended four games for cross-checking Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety)
“I think it could go either way, personally, for me, looking at the video,” Avs coach said of Landeskog’s cross check to the side of Tkachuck’s head. “It wasn’t intentional, so sometimes you get a break on that.”
Bednar replaced Landeskog on the -centered line with left wing Sven Andrighetto. will continue to play right wing on that line.
