"During an intense final minute of regulation Saturday, Avalanche rookie Gabriel Landeskog? and Dallas captain Brenden Morrow? got into a major scrum. Morrow relentlessly went after the 19-year-old, forcing 6-foot-5, 235-pound Colorado defenseman Ryan O'Byrne to get involved.

After O'Byrne and Morrow finished the game in the penalty boxes, Landeskog and Morrow talked about their mutual respect.

"Maybe he wasn't too happy about that," Landeskog said of his big, blue-line check on Morrow in the second period. "It's part of the game, and it's the game I play. I want to play physical, and I'm not going to shy just because it's a very good player I'm hitting. It just makes it that much more fun. He's a great player, and I like the way he plays. I guess you could say it was a dream come true, to hit him like that."

Said Morrow: "Got a lot of respect for him already. He plays the game hard and honest. The play at the end really had nothing to do with him. Not sure who crashed in, but I just saw a skate blade going at my eye and I lost (control). But he plays hard, plays physical and plays honest. I expect a great career from him." "