The defending Stanley Cup Champions will continue their season-long uphill battle in their quest to repeat.
The Colorado Avalanche announced Thursday that captain Gabriel Landeskog will not play in the playoffs due to a knee injury that has kept him out all season long.
Landeskog netted 11 goals and dished out 11 assists in his 20 playoff games last year – he scored twice in Colorado's Game 3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and handed out an assist in the Cup clincher in Game 6.
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The captain had been skating in preparation for a return from his offseason surgery, but the Avalanche made the decision with two regular-season games remaining.
The Avalanche have been hit with injuries in recent weeks: superstar Cale Makar has missed the last five games with a lower-body injury, and his return is up in the air; the same goes for Darren Helm.
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Defenseman Josh Manson also has no timetable for a return, having been out since March with a lower-body injury himself.
The Avalanche's 105 points are second in the Central Division, one point behind the Dallas Stars. However, Colorado does have a game in hand and could very well take home their second-consecutive division title.
Colorado took down Tampa Bay last year after the latter had won back-to-back Cups.
