Deen’s Daily: An Upbeat Landeskog Joins Practice; Avs Goalie Depth; Florida Misses Ekblad

The captain was at practice on Monday and stuck around the whole way through. Can the Avalanche rely on both of their goalies in the playoffs? Also, Aaron Ekblad is still serving his suspension and the Panthers miss him.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — March 18.

Colorado Hockey Now

Gabe Landeskog was the talk of the town on Monday, again, after he joined a full-length Avalanche practice for the first time all season. The day he skates through all the drills and takes contact will be the day his return looks more realistic. For now, it’s another step in the right direction. We’ll have to see if it amounts to anything in the postseason.

Coming off four wins with Scott Wedgewood in goal, my weekly Monday column asked: Do the Avs finally have the right goaltending depth to make another Stanley Cup run?

You asked and I answered. Catch the latest Avalanche Mailbag, where I answer questions about the Mikko Rantanen saga, Jared Bednar’s reputation among NHL coaches, Brock Nelson’s contract status, and more.

Around the NHL

Florida Hockey Now: Aaron Ekblad is serving his 20-game suspension and it’s becoming clear just how much he means for the Panthers.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Pens insist they’re still in the playoff race. A simple look at the standings page says otherwise, even during a four-game winning streak.

Philadelphia Hockey Now: How about another shutout loss for the Flyers? Also, what did they get in Nikita Grebenkin in that trade with Toronto?

New Jersey Hockey Now: You won’t believe the number of saves Jake Allen had to make in the third period to keep the Devils from coughing up a lead to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Boston Hockey Now: The Bruins season is running low on goals and luck.

Chicago Hockey Now: Looking for a spark, the Blackhawks have put Ryan Donato on the top line.