MacKinnon injured as short-handed Avalanche fall in overtime

Already scrambling due to an array of recent injuries, the Avalanche suffered their most concerning yet on Sunday, when superstar center and perennial Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon didn’t return to the ice following the second period of the Avs eventual 4-3 overtime loss in Minnesota.

MacKinnon, who had two assists already on the evening, didn’t suffer an obvious injury during the game. But following the loss, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar described it as a “lower-body injury” and gave no other updates on his condition or possible availability for Tuesday’s rematch in Denver.

The Avalanche are already missing defensemen Erik Johnson and Devon Toews, forwards Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Matt Calvert, and goaltender Pavel Francouz to a litany of injuries in a season still only 10 games old.

The Avalanche carved out a 3-2 lead in the third without MacKinnon when Brandon Saad scored a goal for his fourth-consecutive game, but Minnesota’s Victor Rask pushed his second goal of the night behind Avs backup goaltender Hunter Miska to tie it, and overtime was over in an 18-second blur when the Wild’s Jonas Brodin slid the puck through Miska’s five-hole to claim the comeback victory.

After the game, team captain Gabriel Landeskog likely spoke to his team as well as the media when he discussed the Avalanche’s injury situation, saying, “We’ll figure this out and keep working. There’s no other way to answer this than we’re going to keep working.”

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NEXT UP: Avalanche (6-3-1, 13 pts) vs. Minnesota (6-4-0, 12 pts) | Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 6:30 pm (TV: NBCSN)

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TEAM NOTES

• The Avalanche nabbed three out of four possible points on their two-game trip to Minnesota, and moved to 3-2-1 on the road this season.

• After killing all three power plays on Sunday, the Avalanche have killed 22 consecutive and possess the league’s best penalty-kill unit at 91.7 percent (33-for-36).

• The point the Avalanche earned in Sunday’s overtime loss moved them into a tie for the West Division lead with the Blues. Both clubs have 13 points, but St. Louis has a game in hand.

• Despite being outscored on Sunday, the Avalanche still lead the league in goal differential (+13).

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PLAYER NOTES

• Bowen Byram will be sticking with the Avs. After opening the game as part of the top defensive pair with Cale Makar, the 19 year-old rookie played in his seventh game, meaning that his entry-level NHL contract will kick in. In a normal season, that limit is 10 games, but due to the COVID-19 shortened season, rookies reach that threshold at seven games this year. Byram has been given 18 or more minutes of ice time in five of his seven appearances this season, and has earned coach Jared Bednar’s trust quickly.

• Joonas Donskoi opened the scoring for the Avalanche with his fifth goal on the season and his second in two games. He’s scored those five on only 13 shots for an impressive 38.5 percent rate.

• Cale Makar scored his first goal of the season on Sunday. He ranks second on the Avalanche in scoring with 11 points, and his 10 assists leads the team. He’s scored in each of the last four games.

• Brandon Saad scored in the third period to give the Avalanche a temporary 3-2 lead. Saad, who was traded to the Avs in the offseason by Chicago in exchange for D Nikita Zadorov, now has a four-game goal streak.

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THE FINAL WORD

“It is what it is. Better to go through it now than in May and June in the playoffs.” — Team captain Gabriel Landeskog, on the team’s recent spate of injuries.

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INJURY WATCH

• Nathan MacKinnon (lower-body injury) left the Jan. 31 game. No condition was given following the game.

• Erik Johnson (upper-body injury) left the Jan. 30 game and is day-to-day.

• Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (undisclosed injury) left the Jan. 29 game.

• Devon Toews (foot) last played on Jan. 28. There is concern that the injury could be longer-term.

• Matt Calvert (concussion symptoms) has not played since Jan. 24. On Jan. 28, coach Jared Bednar said he will be cautious regarding his timetable for return.

• Pavel Francouz (lower-body injury) has yet to play this season and remains on injured reserve.

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LAST NIGHT’S LINES

FORWARDS
Top Line: C Nathan MacKinnon, F Gabriel Landeskog, F Mikko Rantanen
Second Line: C Nazem Kadri, F Andre Burakovsky, F Brandon Saad
Third Line: F J.T. Compher, F Joonas Donskoi, F Valeri Nichushkin
Fourth Line: C Tyson Jost, F Logan O’Connor

DEFENSEMEN
Top Pair: Bowen Byram, Cale Makar
Second Pair: Samuel Girard, Ryan Graves
Third Pair: Jacob McDonald, Conor Timmins

GOALTENDERS
Starter: Hunter Miska

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