Gabriel Landeskog suspended three games for cross-check (Video)

The NHL suspended Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog three games for a "reckless" crosscheck of Anaheim Ducks defenseman Simon Despres.

The play in question occurred at the 11:29 mark of the third period of Colorado’s 3-0 Wednesday win over Anaheim. A video of the play is above. Landeskog was not penalized and Despres suffered no apparent injury.

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“This is not a battle for the puck or for positioning. The backchecking Landeskog comes through with speed and recklessly raises his stick into Despres’ head,” said the Department of Player Safety in the video. “While we understand his explanation that he was not targeting his opponents’ head, players must be responsible for their stick. Here, Landeskog delivers a high, reckless and irresponsible crosscheck to an opponent in an unacceptable fashion.”

Because of the suspension, Landeskog will be fined $203,832.75. Losing Landeskog for any stretch of time at this point in the season is crucial for Colorado in their hopes of making the playoffs. The Avs have 74 points in 69 games, two points ahead of the Minnesota Wild, a team that’s played two fewer games than Colorado, for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

Landeskog has 46 points in 65 games, which ranks third on the team. He also ranks second amongst Colorado forwards in average ice-time per-game at 18:52 per-contest.

In November Landeskog was suspended two games for a head shot of Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. This made Landeskog a repeat offender for the Department of Player Safety when it determined a suspension for the Despres hit.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper