Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon Reacts to Teammate's Scary Moment

MacKinnon explained that bone injuries usually heal better than ligament or tendon damage.

"I mean, you know, bones heal," MacKinnon said. "They just heal normally. And tendons, ligaments are kind of scary, scary injuries in sports. So, yeah, I think after the process he had, you know, obviously it looked horrible. And it's definitely scary, devastating to see a guy like that hurt like that because he's so tough.

"But yeah, obviously, you know, the one bright side maybe is that it's not his knee. So, you know, I'm hoping he's going to be okay."

MacKinnon also described how the moment affected the building. He said the energy dropped on both benches once Landeskog went down. Several Panthers players asked if it was Landeskog’s knee, which stood out to MacKinnon.

"Yeah, I mean, the respect he has in this league, so many players come up to him and wish him well, you know, love to see him back," MacKinnon said. "And, you know, multiple Florida guys came up to us and were asking if it was his knee.

"So, I mean, you know, very classy of those guys to do that. And, you know, it just shows the respect he has around the league and obviously in our room."

Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed Landeskog will miss some time, though the team is still evaluating the injury.

Colorado will finish its road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but Landeskog is not expected to play. With him out, Artturi Lehkonen is likely to move up the lineup, while Ross Colton and Taylor Makar could see more ice time.

Despite the loss, Colorado remains one of the league’s top teams. The Avalanche sit at 31-3-7, lead the Central Division, and continue to score at a league-best rate. MacKinnon’s elite play (35 goals, 74 points) has fueled that run, but Landeskog’s absence will test the team’s depth in the coming games.