Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen leaves game with broken finger

Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen suffered a lower-body injury during the second period of Monday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens and will not return, the club confirmed on Twitter.

Lehkonen, 27, scored his 19th and 20th goals of the season in the first period and also recorded an assist on J.T. Compher’s goal in the second, but he never returned to the ice after completing a 76-second shift at the 12:57 mark of the middle frame.

Monday’s game was Lehkonen’s first back in Montreal since being traded by the Canadiens to the Avalanche at the 2022 trade deadline. The five-foot-eleven Finn went on to score eight goals and 14 points in 20 playoff games as the Avalanche captured the Stanley Cup.

The Avalanche currently lead the Canadiens by a 8-4 score late in the third period at Centre Bell in Montreal.

Update: The Athletic Avalanche writer Peter Baugh reported after Monday’s game that Lekhonen suffered a broken finger and will return to Denver for surgery.

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Lehkonen upper body will not return. #GoAvsGo

1:21 AM · Mar 14, 2023

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The Canadiens originally selected Lehkonen in the second round (No. 55 overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. After spending the three years after his selection developing overseas, Lehkonen jumped directly into the Canadiens’ lineup in 2016-17 without playing a single game in the American Hockey League.

Lehkonen spent parts of six seasons in Montreal to begin his NHL career, topping out with 31 points in 82 games with the club in 2018-19. He was instrumental in the Canadiens reaching the 2021 Stanley Cup Final in Cinderella fashion, scoring in overtime to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights on home ice.

Through 474 career games with the Canadiens and Avalanche, Lekhonen has collected 100 goals and 207 points. He’s added 14 goals and 26 points in 53 games spread over four playoff runs.