As if losing Matt Duchene to a knee injury wasn't bad enough, Nathan MacKinnon hurt what appeared to be his left knee in the third period of Friday's 4-3 shootout win in Calgary.
Haven't gotten an update on MacKinnon, who was to be re-evaluated Saturday, but the Avalanche have recalled Mikko Rantanen from San Antonio, a move coach Patrick Roy had been saying for weeks they were reluctant to make. Rantanen, last summer's first-round pick, has been tearing up the AHL with 52 points (21 goals, 31 assists) in 44 games.
The Avalanche also lost Eric Gelinas to an elbow injury, and Roy said the defenseman would be "out for a while," forcing them to use Andrew Bodnarchuk or Zach Redmond on the third pairing with Chris Bigras, who played Friday after missing four games because of a concussion.
"Bodnarchuk and Redmond are going to have to find a way to play some good hockey for us," Roy said.
Can't expect too much from either, unfortunately.
The good news is that captain Gabriel Landeskog will return to the lineup Sunday in Edmonton now that he's completed his three-game suspension. The Avalanche won the last two games without him after losing in Winnipeg a week ago.
But if MacKinnon can't play ... this couldn't happen at a worse time with Duchene already sidelined and just 10 games remaining to try and clinch a playoff spot. Mikhail Grigorenko and Blake Comeau can slide over to play center.
Sportsnet's Roger Millions tweeted that Duchene will miss 7-10 days.
MacKinnon appeared to get hurt in a collision right after a faceoff. He continued to skate but eventually left and didn't return.
The Avalanche have some tough games ahead, too, with Philadelphia and Minnesota at the Pepsi Center next Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Every team left on the schedule after Sunday's game against the Oilers, with the possible exception of the Flyers, has all but officially cemented a place in the playoffs.
The Avalanche's lead for the second wild card in the Western Conference is down to one point again following the Wild's 3-2 shootout win against Carolina on Saturday. Colorado has a two-game lead on the Wild in regulation and overtime wins (33-31), the first tiebreaker if it comes to that.