A young, inexperienced hockey player has the tendency to play the puck like a hot potato, wanting to get rid of it quickly.

Gabriel Landeskog has shown no signs of playing with a potato on his stick. The Avalanche's 18-year-old rookie left wing played like a savvy veteran in Sunday's 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at the Pepsi Center.

Landeskog assisted on the game's first goal, a Chuck Kobasew shorthanded tally 6:55 into the game. Landeskog and Kobasew's primary responsibility during the shift was to work with defensemen Shane O'Brien and Erik Johnson? to kill Jan Hejda's hooking minor.