Gabe Landeskog rips Levshunov hit on Cale Makar

It started in a messy first period in Colorado's 5-2 win over Chicago, when Levshunov caught Makar along the boards and got real airborne doing it.

Spittin' Chiclets

@spittinchiclets

Levshunov went airborne to hit Makar 👀💥

Martin Necas, not exactly your designated fighter, jumped Levshunov right away. That made it a mess for the refs: Levshunov got 2 minutes for elbowing plus a coincidental roughing minor with Necas, and nobody went to the monitor to check for anything worse. Makar was fine. He stayed in and led the team with 23 minutes, according to theScore. That didn't calm anybody down.

Landeskog spent the rest of the night chirping Levshunov, and in the second period he got his chance. Levshunov jumped to bat a puck out of the air near his own net, and the Avs captain happened to be standing right where he was going to land.

Corey Masisak

@cmasisak22

Artyom Levshunov just tried to jump and knock the puck out of danger near his own net and Gabe Landeskog took that opportunity to play low man wins and flip him over his shoulder. Ryan Greene had to dodge a skate at eye level, which is never ideal.

Low man wins. Landeskog flipped him clean over his shoulder, and the linesman had to duck a skate flying at eye level. Colorado kept going after Levshunov through the 2nd and 3rd periods. After the game Landeskog didn't pretend it was an accident. He explained exactly why it happened.

Evan Rawal

@evanrawal

Asked Landeskog about the hit and ensuing battles with 55: "I didn't like (the hit) at all. I thought it was more than just a two-minute elbowing too. I think he leaves his feet and I think he makes head contact. At least should have been reviewed for that. If the refs aren't going to call it, then we got to take it into our hands a little bit."

Evan Rawal

@evanrawal

Landeskog has been chatting with Levshunov this period after that hit on Makar. Captain just got some payback, as Levshunov decided to go airborne to smack the puck out of mid-air and Landeskog "just happened" to be under him when he went to land.

That's about as old-school as a captain gets. He says Levshunov left his feet and made head contact, he wanted a review, he didn't get one, so the Avs handled it themselves. And the hockey went their way too. Chicago scored twice in the first 7 minutes to go up 2-0, then Colorado scored 4 straight, with Nazem Kadri and Jaden Schwartz each scoring twice on the night.

Now the question is whether the league has anything to say about the hit. The refs called an elbow, but the airborne video is out there and the Avs captain is publicly calling it a head shot. For Levshunov, a big young defenseman Chicago is building around, the hockey lesson is simple: if you go after Cale Makar, the whole Colorado bench comes after you.