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USA Names First 18 Players To World Championship Roster

Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (#1) and defenseman Andrew Peeke (#52) are both among the 18 players named to the United States' World Championship roster. © Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

USA Hockey has named the first 18 players to its roster at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, which runs from May 9 to 25 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning Denmark. The USA plays in Group B in Herning.

The team so far includes 17 players from NHL teams that missed the Stanley Cup playoffs and one – goaltender Hampton Slukynsky – from Western Michigan University.

Three players have been named from each the Boston Bruins and Utah HC, two each from the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks and one from the Buffalo Sabres.

Unlike past seasons, no current AHL players have been chosen and only one – Chicago’s Frank Nazar – spent any time in the league this season. The USA might start the tournament with this roster but more players will likely be named as teams start getting eliminated from the playoffs.

The head coach of the team is Ryan Warsofsky from the San Jose Sharks. His assistants are Kevin Dean, Adam Nightingale and Mike Vellucci. The team’s director of hockey operations is former NHL goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck.

Five Swedish NHLers (So Far) Say Yes To World Championship At HomeFive Swedish NHLers (So Far) Say Yes To World Championship At Home Five players have so far confirmed their spots on the Swedish roster for this year’s IIHF World Championship, which the Swedes will co-host with Denmark at the newly-renovated Avicii Arena in Stockholm.

While the USA has not won a standalone World Championship since 1933, this roster includes many players that have had success at the World Junior and U-18 World levels.

Goaltenders (3): Joey Daccord (Seattle, NHL), Jeremy Swayman (Boston, NHL), Hampton Slukynsky (Western Michigan University, NCAA).

Defensemen (6): Michael Kesselring (Utah, NHL), Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim, NHL), Andrew Peeke, Mason Lohrei (both Boston, NHL), Brady Skjei (Nashville, NHL), Alex Vlasic (Chicago, NHL).

Forwards (9): Matty Beniers (Seattle, NHL), Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley (both Utah, NHL), Drew O’Connor, Conor Garland (both Vancouver, NHL), Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim, NHL), Michael McCarron (Nashville, NHL), Frank Nazar (Chicago, NHL), Tage Thompson (Buffalo, NHL).

Brady Tkachuk: Brady Tkachuk: "I don't think anyone can get under my skin"In the third game for each team, Slovakia built up a 4-1 lead after two periods but the USA stormed back with three straight in the third to force overtime. Miloš Kelemen, who had opened the scoring in the fourth minute, ended it in overtime to claim two points for Slovakia. However, the late comeback allowed the Americans to get one. They now have four points after three games but have the group’s toughest opponents now seemingly out of the way.
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European football: McTominay double opens up three-point lead for Napoli

  • Napoli beat Torino 2-0 in Sunday’s late game
  • Title rivals Inter lose 1-0 at home to Roma

Two first-half goals from Scott McTominay helped Napoli to a 2-0 home win against Torino in Serie A on Sunday as the hosts reclaimed the sole lead in the standings with four games left to play.

Napoli are three points above the defending champions, Inter, who were handed a 1-0 home defeat by Roma earlier in the day. Napoli raced to a seventh-minute lead through McTominay, who bundled the ball in from close range before doubling the advantage just before half-time from a neat lofted cross by Matteo Politano.

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Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham: Premier League – as it happened

After falling behind Liverpool cantered to an easy win over Tottenham, and for the first time in 35 years a packed Anfield celebrated a league title

History was made in 1964: it was the first time the reporter responsible for informing Guardian readers of a Liverpool title victory got a byline. Eric Todd celebrated by quoting Thomas Gray’s The Progress of Poesy, an ode in Pindaric form. They had secured the trophy with a 5-0 thrashing of Arsenal. Here’s a bit of Todd’s missive:

Having already exhausted most of the available superlatives on the team, Mr W Shankly, its manager, and the Kop, I can think of no more fitting a preface to my last dispatch from Anfield than a statement by Mr Shankly shortly after Liverpool had won promotion. “We are not merely going to be sitting on the First Division fence,” he said. They finished a useful eighth last term and, after a modest start, they dropped several broad hints that they intended winning something this season.

Yet Saturday’s proceedings were less satisfying than had been expected or hoped for. For one thing, there were fewer than 50,000 spectators – some of them had queued all night, and others for seven hours. For another, Liverpool made rather more mistakes than usual, and finally Arsenal did little to allay the general suspicion that they were there just to be sacrificed. The atmosphere was charged with tension and emotion, so that perhaps it would be unfair to be hypercritical. The indisputable fact remains, however, that Liverpool did what they set out to do. They are worthy champions, and Arsenal, who have enjoyed a good share of the game’s honours over the years, paid them generous tribute.

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What we learned as Giants win on unbelievable Ramos walk-off

What we learned as Giants win on unbelievable Ramos walk-off originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — At long last, the marathon has ended, and the Giants should feel very good about how it went.

Monday will be San Francisco’s first day off since April 10. The 17-day, four-city gauntlet against some of MLB’s best teams taught us a lot about the 2025 Giants, who entered Sunday’s series finale against the Texas Rangers at Oracle Park alone in first place in the National League West and held onto it at least for one more day — thanks largely in part to a Little League home run by Heliot Ramos in the bottom of the ninth.

It also taught us a lot about Jordan Hicks, who toed the rubber against young Rangers righty Jack Leiter on Sunday as San Francisco secured its sixth series victory of the 2025 MLB season.

Here are three takeaways from the Giants’ thrilling 3-2 walk-off win, the second in as many games.

Recovered Nicely

Hicks struggled in his three previous starts, but if you take away three of his 27 1/3 total innings before Sunday’s start (ND, 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), his numbers on the season would look pretty good.

Five of the seven earned runs Hicks surrendered in a start against the New York Yankees on April 12 came in the fifth inning alone. All five of his earned runs against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 17 came in the first inning, while three of his five earned runs against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday came in the third inning, before Hicks departed in the middle of an eight-run top of the sixth in an eventual 11-3 loss.

His outing on Sunday followed that same trend. Fortunately for Hicks and the Giants, it was just a two-run top of the first inning before four scoreless frames.

As a reliever, one rough inning likely would spell doom for his team on any given day. That’s much less likely to be the case for Hicks in his role as a starter.

Procrastination At Its Finest

The Giants entered Sunday’s game with four walk-off wins this season, the most in the majors. The last time the Orange and Black had four walk-offs in their first 12 home games was in 2011.

Patrick Bailey delivered the pinch-hit, game-winning single in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Texas, and on Sunday, it was Ramos. Well, kind of …

With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Ramos led off with a dribbler up the third-base line into no man’s land between the mound and third base. Rangers reliever Luke Jackson, a former Giant, threw an off-balance throw up the right-field line, which allowed Ramos to advance all the way to third before first baseman Jake Burger overthrew third base and Ramos scored a Little League homer to win the game.

San Francisco had a .761 OPS in what Statcast defines as high-leverage situations this season before Sunday’s game, which was the fifth-best in baseball.

The Giants also now have 16 walk-off wins dating back to last season, which, unsurprisingly, is the most in the majors.

Bird(song) Is The Word

Hayden Birdsong, who has been nothing short of a revelation for the Giants out of the bullpen this season, continues to show impressive poise in his new role.

With the score tied 2-2 in the top of the sixth inning, old friend Joc Pederson roped a leadoff triple into the gap in right-center. Not a problem for the 23-year-old.

Birdsong then struck out Adolis García before getting Marcus Semien and Nick Ahmed to ground out and pop out, respectively, to end the inning. He was awarded an additional inning in the seventh, another scoreless frame. And then a third in the eighth, also another scoreless frame.

Light work.

The three scoreless frames lowered Birdsong’s ERA to 1.13 on the season. It’s unclear what the future might hold for the young righty who still hopes to reprise his role as a starter, but for right now, he provides an already elite Giants bullpen with another very, very exciting weapon.

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Game 5 Puck Drop Time Set Between Golden Knights and Wild

Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) is taken down by Vegas Golden Knights left wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) during 1st OT in game four of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-Imagn Images

The Vegas Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild find themselves even at two games apiece, with the series heading back to Vegas on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. PST puck drop. 

The series has been a tale of two stories. When the Golden Knights win the special teams battle, they go on to be victorious. When they don't, Kirill Kaprizov takes over and leads the Wild to wins.

Games 1 and 4 saw the Golden Knights take advantage of their power play opportunities while shutting down the Wild with their penalty kill. Games 2 and 3 were filled with unforced errors from the Golden Knights and iffy goaltending from Adin Hill.

Although the Golden Knights would rather be leading the series and heading back onto home ice looking to close it out, they still maintain home ice advantage in what can now be considered a best-of-three. 

In Game 4, the HC Bruce Cassidy threw his lines into a blender, trying anything to spark some offence. The move paid off, scoring two even-strength goals alongside their two power play markers. Ivan Barbashev ended the game in overtime, scoring his first of the series, assisted by Reilly Smith and Nicolas Roy, a trio that has rarely seen the ice together. 

Cassidy will have a decision to make for Game 5 regarding his lines. He can continue with what brought him success in Game 4, or go back to what's worked so frequently throughout the regular season. Whatever his choice is, it will have major implications.

Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

3 Takeaways: Barbashev Lifts Golden Knights To 4-3 Overtime Win In Game 4, Sends Series Back To Vegas Tied 2-All 3 Takeaways: Barbashev Lifts Golden Knights To 4-3 Overtime Win In Game 4, Sends Series Back To Vegas Tied 2-All The Minnesota Wild were the only NHL team to carry an undefeated record into the third period when leading after two. Captain Mark Stone Epitomizes Leadership Role For Golden KnightsCaptain Mark Stone Epitomizes Leadership Role For Golden KnightsLAS VEGAS -- When the Golden Knights traded for Mark Stone in 2019, general manager Kelly McCrimmon knew the franchise landed much more than one of the most talented 200-foot forwards in the NHL.
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Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester United: Premier League – as it happened

Manchester United rallied to grab a point through Rasmus Højlund and dent their 10-man hosts’ European hopes

The teams walk out into the sunshine. Bournemouth are in their Stendhal stripes, United in all-white, like a poor man’s Real Madrid.

As United go into their huddle, Luke Shaw seems to be giving the pep talk, which is a nice touch. Shaw is at left centre-back, so the wing-backs are Mazraoui and Dorgu. Amorim does like to have three full-backs on the field at all times.

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Winners And Losers From Week 1 Of The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Adrian Kempe (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

Whenever he’s asked about expanding the Stanley Cup playoff pool, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has come up with a response that’s tough to argue: the current format creates the most compelling first round in all of sports. 

This year has been no different, with familiar matchups, old favorites from a generation ago and fresh rivalries igniting. After eight days, all 16 teams are still alive, and there’s at least a small element of doubt in every series. 

Here are six players that have stood out in the early going — for better or for worse.

Winners

Gabriel Landeskog – Colorado Avalanche

The smile said it all when Landeskog’s high wrister beat Jake Oettinger over his glove to put the Colorado Avalanche up 3-0 against the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.

It was the first goal for the Colorado captain since June 20, 2022 — a triumphant story of perseverance that also served as an important insurance marker to level one of this year’s most high-level first-round series at 2-2. 

Adrian Kempe - Los Angeles Kings

Does practice make perfect for the big Swede? Kempe had 11 goals and 19 points across 18 games in the Kings’ previous three playoff meetings with the Edmonton Oilers. This year, he has obliterated that pace with nine points in the first three games, including four goals. 

The Kings let one slip away in Edmonton on Friday, but Kempe still finished the night with two points. At 28, he’s an underrated threat whose start could shine brighter than ever before if L.A. can finish the job and advance.

Jake Sanderson – Ottawa Senators

Who better than the Senators’ future Norris Trophy hopeful to foil the Toronto Maple Leafs’ dream of a first-round sweep? At just 22, Ottawa has Jake Sanderson locked up for seven more years. He could become one of the league’s great bargains if he continues his trajectory.

Sanderson picked a perfect moment to score the most important goal of his career on Saturday. Let’s see what’s next.

Losers

Stuart Skinner - Edmonton Oilers

He’s been here before, but it can’t be easy for Stuart Skinner to cede his crease to Calvin Pickard for the second-straight year.

Last season, Kris Knoblauch replaced Skinner for two starts against Vancouver in Round 2. He was steadier when he got back into action, and earned his team two series wins.

This year, Skinner’s regular-season numbers dropped, and his playoff performance followed suit. He gave up 11 goals in five-and-a-half periods and gave up 4.7 goals above expected before he got the hook. 

The silver lining? After three games, the Kings’ Darcy Kuemper has surrendered 5.2 goals above expected. If the Oilers can stay alive long enough for Skinner to get back on track, there’s still a path for them to advance.

Jack Eichel - Vegas Golden Knights

Eichel picked up his first playoff point of the year as the Golden Knights evened their series with the Wild on Saturday. But he was also a minus-2, taking him to minus-7 over four games. 

Plus-minus may not be a perfect stat, but that’s not good.

Being a No. 1 center is no easy task, but Eichel crushed it in his maiden voyage two years ago, chipping in better than a point a game while playing sound two-way hockey on his way to winning a Cup. 

He knows exactly what it takes, so is there something holding him back? Despite hitting a new career high with 94 points and attracting some Hart Trophy chatter during the regular season, he went cold late in the year, logging just one point in his last five games played, and missing four just before the playoffs with an upper-body issue. 

Eichel led all Vegas forwards with 29:57 of ice time on Saturday, and his six shots were one more than the first three games of the series combined. Sin City fans will be hopeful that’s a sign that his full game is starting to round back into form.

Aaron Ekblad – Florida Panthers

It’s a small sample size, to be sure. But after his Florida Panthers carved out a 2-0 series lead on the road in Tampa, Ekblad’s return to the lineup from his 20-game performance-enhancing-substance suspension couldn’t have gone much worse.

While he was out, Nate Schmidt seized his moment and scored three goals in two games. But with Ekblad back in the lineup and Uvis Balinskis scratched, the Panthers suffered a 5-1 beatdown on home ice on Saturday. 

Ekblad finished third in ice time among Florida defensemen, at 20:20. But he and partner Gustav Forsling were both an ugly minus-4 for the day.

Ekblad needs to sharpen up in a hurry to help the Panthers move on — and to help set the table for his next payday. The 29-year-old is heading for free agency on July 1, and there hasn’t been much talk yet about an extension with Florida.

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Yankees removing Devin Williams from closer role 'for now'

Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed on Sunday morning that the team is moving reliever Devin Williams out of the closer role “for now.”

Speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays, Boone said that Luke Weaver will get the majority of the save opportunities, while the club wants to see Williams build up some positive momentum in non-save chances.

“The good news for Devin is, he has everything to get through this and come out better from the other side. That’s my expectation," Boone said, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "Right now, it’s best for everyone to pull him out of that role and try to start building some good rhythm, confidence, and momentum.

"I fully expect him to be a central figure for us moving forward.”

SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino wrote on Friday that the Yankees could be making a change at closer, noting Williams’ command issues along with Weaver’s early-season success.

Williams, a two-time All-Star and twice named the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year, was acquired in an offseason trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, looking to give the Yankees another lockdown closer in their storied history.

But the 30-year-old's start in New York has been nightmarish, with the right-hander pitching to an 11.25 ERA and a 2.375 WHIP with only eight strikeouts and seven walks in 8.0 innings of work.

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Stars' Hintz, Oilers' Nugent-Hopkins Headline Playoff Players Due for Bounce Back Performances

Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz and Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins among names listed for struggling players yet to produce in Stanley Cup Playoffs

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The Stanley Cup Playoffs have seen some exciting moments early on like Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog returning to the lineup after being sidelined for three years or Toronto depth defenceman Simon Benoit finally getting his moment and contributing two overtime winners.

It's been fun to see some players get their day in the sun but for others, this postseason has been one to forget following a slow start. Here are some players that have either been out to slow starts or have done well but aren't being respected at the sportsbooks.

Roope Hintz - Dallas Stars

The 28-year-old Finnish winger has struggled to generate offence early on after recording 28 goals and and 39 assists for 67 points this season. His 0.88 point-per-game average was still very solid and people expected the young centre to play a big role in the Stars' postseason success.

After the first four games of the opening round, Hintz has recorded just one point—a surprising turn considering he came into the series riding a three-game point streak against Colorado and had finished the regular season strong with 12 points in his final 13 games. Points will come eventually for Hintz and I expect his prop bets to become a great value over the final three games.

Ivan Demidov - Montreal Canadiens

This one is more of a player simply being due as the highly-anticipated Russian prospect has now played five career games in the NHL and hasn't gotten on the scoresheet since his debut. His wild first game was fun to watch and I expect another big Demidov game as the Habs have the momentum in the series after a big game three win.

The Capitals have also lost a ton of steam after losing starting goaltender Logan Thompson to what looked like a painful knee injury. They will likely smell blood in the water and play a very tight second game in Montreal. Demidov is seeing more chances after playing just over 15 minutes in game three which was his most time on the ice since his debut. If he gets more ice-time the chances should come.

More NHL: Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Betting Guide: Best Bets, Strategies and Future Options

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers have really struggled to find secondary scoring with superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl being forced to carry the load. While both star players were out this season, Nugent-Hopkins stepped into a much bigger role as the team's top centre and finished the season strong with ten points over his last 13 games.

He recorded his first point of the series with a goal in a 7-4 game three win and I expect him to build on it as the Oilers will only look to get hotter and climb back into their series with LA. Nugent-Hopkins sees time on the first power play unit, which has been shown to be deadly in the past and could provide a cheap option to get in on scoring from McDavid and Drasaitl for odds at plus money.

More NHL: Edmonton Oilers vs LA Kings Round 4 Betting Guide: Best Bets, Strategies and Future Options

Mark Stone - Vegas Golden Knights

It was a breakout year for the Vegas captain, who managed a 1.02 point-per-game average with a career-high 67 points through 66 games. It was a solid campaign from the 32-year-old Winnipeg native but since turning to the postseason, he hasn't found nearly the same success.

Stone is known to be a gamer for Vegas with 64 points through 75 playoff games with the Golden Knights. However, the Minnesota Wild have been shutting down Stone and limiting his chances with just one point through the first four games of the series. I expect a huge bounce back from Stone after finishing second on the team in points during the regular season and will most certainly see points start to come as he plays with lethal forwards in Ivan Barbashev and superstar Jack Eichel.

More NHL: Bolts, Golden Knights Present Last Call For Massive Betting Values

John Carlson - Washington Capitals

A name that many may forget about is Carlson as a solid defenceman that has helped quarterback the Capitals blueline since being drafted back in 2008 with the 27th overall pick. The now 35-year-old defenceman has been a decent source of points throughout his career with 51 points this season and passing the 50-point mark for the seventh time in the last 11 seasons.

When making the playoffs, Carlson has also been one of the highest producing blueliners in the game with 40 points over his last 54 playoff games. He has no points through the Capitals' three games so far and I expect this to change over the next few games.

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Yankees' Luis Gil beginning throwing program on Sunday: report

With the Yankees preparing for a Sunday doubleheader with the Blue Jays in the Bronx, the team got some good news on the injury front, with right-hander Luis Gil set to start his throwing program, per YES Network's Meredith Marakovits.

The reigning AL Rookie of the Year was originally scheduled to resume throwing earlier this month as he recovers from a lat strain, but the Yankees decided to push the date back by 10 days to give Gil some extra time, following an MRI.

When the Yankees announced they were giving Gil more time, manager Aaron Boone said Gil's rehab is going “fine,” but the team wanted to see a higher level of healing before he resumed throwing.  

“It’s just the level of healing. So it’s got to get to, I don’t know, 80 percent,” Boone explained. “When they start, there are checkmarks of when you start the throwing program. It’s going how it should, it’s just, we need another 10 days.”

Gil made 29 starts for the Yankees last season, pitching to a 3.50 ERA with a 1.193 WHIP and 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Carlton prove their mettle to show there is light at the end of the tunnel | Jonathan Horn

The Blues put a disastrous opening month behind them after adding the prized scalp of the Cats to wins over the Kangaroos and Eagles

There were signs in the last fortnight that Carlton’s game was back in order. Geelong at the MCG was, however, a different proposition than the atrocious North Melbourne and West Coast. For any team that fancies its chances, Geelong will show you exactly where you stand. They’ll give you the print out. They’ll expose every flaw. They’ll test your coaching. And they’ll probe your soft spots.

At various stages in the final term, it looked as though the Cats would run over the top of the Blues. It would have been a devastating loss, given how well the Blues had played for three terms. With a couple of goals in it, and the Cats pressing hard, the ball was in the hands of Patrick Cripps, who signalled his rather dubious intention to take a shot. The Blues skipper bought some precious seconds and spotted up George Hewett, who converted and effectively sealed the win. Hewett is one of those teammates that players like Cripps should thank on Brownlow night – a selfless, unobtrusive type, a footballing sherpa. He seized and deserved his moment in the spotlight after hitting a rich vein of form in recent weeks.

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Mets place A.J. Minter on IL, Ronny Mauricio beginning rehab assignment

The Mets announced on Sunday morning that left-hander reliever A.J. Minter has been placed on the 15-day IL with a left lat strain.

In a corresponding move, right-hander José Ureña has been called up from Triple-A Syracuse.

Minter entered Saturday's win over the Nationals in the eighth inning, but threw just nine pitches before exiting with the training staff. While the initial diagnoses was triceps tightness, further testing showed the injury to be a lat strain.

"I can't remember what pitch it was, but about two pitches or a pitch before you can see me move my tricep a little bit, it tightened up," Minter said on Saturday. "I'm just glad it wasn't my elbow. That's what I was happy about. We're probably looking at an IL stint. Come back, get this thing fixed and continue to help the team."

Coming off of offseason hip surgery, Minter has been outstanding for the Mets, pitching to a 1.64 ERA in 13 games.

Ureña, 33, has been well-traveled in his major league career, as the Mets will become his seventh team he's pitched for, including six seasons with the Miami Marlins. Overall, Ureña has a career 4.76 ERA in 232 career games.

Ronny Mauricio's rehab assignment begins

The Mets also announced that infielder Ronny Mauricio is beginning a rehab assignment with Low-A St. Lucie.

Mauricio, the No. 8 prospect in the Mets' system according to Joe DeMayo, initially tore his ACL playing Winter Ball after the 2023 season, and a second procedure was needed to remove scar tissue last August. Not long after that second surgery, Mauricio dealt with inflammation that stalled his recovery a bit, and he was not able to get into a game during spring training or the first few weeks of the regular season.

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MotoGP: Álex Márquez reigns in Spain to take title lead as brother Marc crashes

  • Álex leads Marc Márquez in title race after Jerez win
  • Fabio Quartararo second, Francesco Bagnaia third

Gresini Racing’s Álex Márquez claimed his first MotoGP race victory at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, taking the championship lead from his elder brother Marc, who crashed early in the race and finished 12th.

After seven second-place finishes in sprints and races this season, Álex secured a dream race win on home turf in front of over 100,000 fans, with the Spaniard imploring them to increase the volume as he took the last few corners on the final lap in Jerez.

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'The Best Story In Sports': The Hockey World Reacts To Gabriel Landeskog’s First NHL Goal In 1,041 Days

Gabriel Landeskog (Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog grabbed the headlines with a storied goal against the Dallas Stars in Game 4 on Saturday.

For the first time in nearly three years, Landeskog has scored a goal in the NHL. It took him over 1,000 days to recover from his chronic knee injury that he suffered back in 2020 and lingered for another two years. Furthermore, he has undergone three surgeries since March 2023.

However, he made a dramatic return to the Colorado lineup on Wednesday for Game 3, playing his first game since June 2022. 

Now, in his second game since returning, he has scored his first goal since June 20, 2022. “There were days where I didn’t know if I would ever score again,” Landeskog told reporters after the Avalanche's 4-0 victory over the Stars to tie the series at two games apiece.

His goal came in the second period to give the Avs a 3-0 lead. It came off an assist from trade-deadline acquisition Brock Nelson. Nelson recorded his first playoff point as a member of the Avalanche on the play, as he coasted into the offensive zone on the left wing, found Landeskog in the slot, and the Avs captain wired it home. 

Landeskog’s teammates were smiling ear-to-ear as they joined him along the boards in celebration. And their excitement for him didn’t wear off after the game.

“There's only one Gabe Landeskog in the world," said Nathan MacKinnon, a longtime teammate and friend of Landeskog’s. "It was more than just a playoff goal... It was a life goal."

Along with teammates, the hockey world acknowledged the incredible comeback story that has unfolded in front of their eyes.

NHL on TNT host Liam McHugh said on X (formerly Twitter), “The best story in sports just keeps getting better. Gabe Landeskog buries his first goal in 1,041 days — and the roof is about to rip off of Ball Arena.”

Landeskog’s goal wasn’t the last time he would make an impact in this contest. He added a secondary assist in the third period, connecting with Nelson again, with defenseman Samuel Girard scoring the fourth and final goal of the game – his first goal of the 2025 playoffs.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.