As if the Avalanche could afford to take another hit with their secondary scorers, a lower-body injury will keep forward Sven Andrighetto out of the lineup for the foreseeable future.
“Week to week,… coach Jared Bednar said Tuesday.
Andrighetto, who missed 50 games with injuries last season, was hurt Saturday in the Avalanche’s 3-2 loss in Minnesota. He missed the first six games this season with a leg injury and scored in his first game back, Oct. 18 in New Jersey, but hasn’t scored since.
Forward Tyson Jost, who didn’t play Saturday in Minnesota because of a head injury, practiced Tuesday while wearing a non-contact jersey and might play on the upcoming road trip Thursday and Friday in Calgary and Vancouver, respectively.
Jost, who has two points (one goal, one assist) in 11 games, will take part in a full contact practice Wednesday if he feels well enough.
“Jost had a good day today so far,… Bednar said. “Hopefully he can join the team for contact practice tomorrow. Everything seems to have gone well. We’ll see how the day goes and hopefully he’ll be a possibility for us on the road.…
But center J.T. Compher remains sidelined with a head injury he sustained Oct. 13 against Calgary.
“He didn’t have such a great day, so he won’t be an option for us on the road,… Bednar said.
Down to 11 healthy forwards, the Avalanche called up Sheldon Dries and A.J. Greer from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.
Dries has a goal and an assist in five games with the Eagles, Greer two goals and six assists in eight games.
“We need more production here and if some guys are confident playing down there and helping to produce offense, that’s something we’re looking at, for sure,… Bednar said.
The Avalanche have scored 24 goals in the past eight games, 17 by the line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.
Rantanen, who turned 22 on Monday, has taken over the NHL scoring lead with 21 points (five goals, league-high 16 assists) in 12 games. MacKinnon is tied for second with 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) and Landeskog is sixth with 16 points (10 goals, six assists). He has a league-high four game-winning goals.
“We need more out of everyone if you look at it objectively,… said Alexander Kerfoot, who has six points (one goal, five assists) in 12 games but only one assist in the past eight games.
“Apart from the top line, we haven’t scored many 5-on-5 goals at all," he said. "Obviously they’re carrying the load, they’re winning us games single-handedly. We’re not going to win a (Stanley) Cup like that.
“We need other guys to step up. I’m definitely one of those guys who hasn’t been scoring lately. I’ve got to look at myself in the mirror; I know that I can do more.… Semyon Varlamov (4-2-2, 1.62, .950) will start in goal Thursday against the Flames. Philipp Grubauer (3-1-0, 2.76, .916) will play Friday against the Canucks.