Avalanche at Stars, Western Conference 1st Round Game 2 preview

DALLAS -- Gabriel Landeskog could play his first NHL game in three years when the Colorado Avalanche face the Dallas Stars in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round at American Airlines Center on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; Victory+, ESPN, ALT2, TVAS-D, SN360).

The Avalanche activated Landeskog from injured reserve Monday, and Colorado coach Jared Bednar said Landeskog is an option.

And there could be a spot for him in the lineup. Forward Ross Colton left the Avalanche's 5-1 win in Game 1 on Saturday because of a lower-body injury.

Asked how Colton is feeling, Bednar said, "Not great." Asked if Colton is an option for Game 2, Bednar said: "We'll see. We'll see what the day brings."

When asked if he’s leaning toward Landeskog if Colton can't play, Bednar said: "We'll see. I haven't decided yet."

Landeskog has been trying to come back from a knee injury since June 26, 2022, when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup with a 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Final. He played with Colorado of the American Hockey League on a conditioning stint April 11 and April 12.

The Avalanche captain participated in an optional morning skate Monday and did not stay out for extra work, as he likely would have if not playing.

"If and when he joins us, we're looking forward to having him back," defenseman Erik Johnson said. "Just any type of minutes he can give us is going to be key, and then just the leadership side that he brings off the ice, on the ice, the intangibles that no one really sees. … Just an unbelievable story all around. We're looking forward to getting him back, whenever that may be."

Here is a breakdown of Game 2:

Avalanche: Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood shined in his NHL playoff debut, stopping 23 of 24 shots in Game 1. Center Nathan MacKinnon had three points (two goals, one assist). He had 116 points (32 goals, 84 assists) in 79 games during the regular season, second in the NHL to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, who had 121 points (37 goals, 84 assists) in 78 games.

Stars: Coach Pete DeBoer said defenseman Miro Heiskanen remains out because of a lower-body injury, but the Stars probably will have a couple of lineup changes. Forward Colin Blackwell appeared to replace forward Mavrik Bourque during the morning skate. Dallas has lost Game 1 eight straight times in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Five times, the Stars have won Game 2. Four times, they have won the best-of-7 series. After a 4-3 overtime loss to Colorado in Game 1 of the second round here last year, Dallas won 5-3 in Game 2 and won the series in six games.

Number to know: 50. That’s how many goals MacKinnon has scored in 89 playoff games. He's the fastest active player to 50 and the ninth fastest player in NHL history.

What to look for: Does Landeskog return, and if he does, how effective is he? Can the Stars find a way to finish on Blackwood?

What they are saying

"They're a fast team, they're really good in transition, they've got some really talented players that we have to watch out for, and they're physical too. It's a good team. I think it was a hard-fought Game 1. The score probably didn't indicate how tight of a game it was, so we have to be ready for Game 2." -- Avalanche center Jack Drury on the Stars

"We have a lot of belief in this group. We believe we can beat this team, and we believe we can win the Stanley Cup. Obviously you don't want to look too far ahead, but we have a ton of belief. The most important thing is to try and build on that and come out with our best possible game we can on Monday night." -- Stars center Wyatt Johnston

Avalanche projected lineup

Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Valeri Nichushkin

Jonathan Drouin -- Brock Nelson -- Martin Necas

Joel Kiviranta -- Charlie Coyle -- Miles Wood

Parker Kelly -- Jack Drury -- Logan O'Connor

Devon Toews -- Cale Makar

Samuel Girard -- Josh Manson

Ryan Lindgren -- Sam Malinski

Mackenzie Blackwood

Scott Wedgewood

Scratched: Erik Johnson, Keaton Middleton, Jimmy Vesey, Miles Wood

Injured: Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Ross Colton (lower body)

Stars projected lineup

Mikael Granlund -- Roope Hintz -- Evgenii Dadonov

Mason Marchment -- Matt Duchene -- Tyler Seguin

Jamie Benn -- Wyatt Johnston -- Mikko Rantanen

Oskar Back -- Sam Steel -- Colin Blackwell

Thomas Harley -- Ilya Lyubushkin

Esa Lindell -- Cody Ceci

Lian Bichsel -- Alexander Petrovic

Jake Oettinger

Casey DeSmith

Scratched: Mavrik Bourque, Mathew Dumba, Brendan Smith

Injured: Miro Heiskanen (knee), Nils Lundkvist (shoulder), Jason Robertson (lower body)

Status report

Colorado held an optional morning skate. … Landeskog was activated from injured reserve. Coach Jared Bednar did not confirm any lineup changes or whether Landeskog would play in Game 2. The forward left early rather than staying on late to skate with the other healthy scratches. … Heiskanen took part in the morning skate for the second game in a row but the defenseman still is considered day-to-day.

NHL.com independent correspondent Taylor Baird contributed to this report