Thursday night, the Colorado Avalanche jumped all over the Capitals, 6-2. The scoreline looks ugly, but the game was even uglier, as the Caps looked outclassed by the Avs all night.
In the middle of this was forward Gabriel Landeskog, who arguably put the Capitals away for good, scoring on a penalty shot early in the third period for his second goal of the night. He would follow it up with a third goal late in the third – his first career hat trick.
His teammates were very happy for him.
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With under 30 seconds to play in the game, the Avalanche on the power play and two goals already in his pocket, Landeskog received a pass from Nathan MacKinnon in the slot. He took a couple of whacks at it, but was able to put the puck past Philipp Grubauer‘s blocker pad to secure the hat trick goal.
Landeskog skated back past the bench for the customary fist bumps as the hats rained down on the ice. However, his teammates had something else planned for their captain: a makeshift Gatorade shower.
At least three Avs turned their water bottles on Landeskog. Some used their bottle as a makeshift water gun. Others scaled down the traditional Gatorade bath to water bottle size. Landeskog skated away from the bench wet with a smile on his face.
This celebration made me smile too, even given the score of the game. Landeskog has been through a lot as the captain of the Avalanche for the past five seasons. The team has gone from last in the West to first in the West and back again, not to mention the Matt Duchene in-game trade a couple weeks ago. It’s nice to see a team supporting their teammate and having fun while doing it. That’s what hockey is all about.
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