Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog will have knee surgery on Monday and be lost to the team for an indefinite period.
Landeskog, 29, is the leading goal scorer for the Avalanche, who sit atop the Western Conference and lead the NHL in points (41-13-5, 87 points) entering Saturday’s games.
“Something’s going on with his knee and it’s been bothering for a while, and it’s getting worse. He’s got to get it fixed,” coach Jared Bednar said Saturday, adding the team hoped its captain would return for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Landeskog ranks fifth on the team with 59 points (30 goals, 29 assists) in 51 games. He played in Thursday’s 2-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes and had seven shots on goal in nearly 19 minutes on the ice.
Valeri Nichushkin is likely to take Landeskog’s place on the top line.
The No. 2 overall selection by Colorado in the 2011 NHL Draft, Landeskog has scored 571 points (248 goals, 323 assists) in 738 games.
The Avalanche will host the Calgary Flames on Sunday.
–Field Level Media