Concern ‘high’ as Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon returns home with injury
The Colorado Avalanche may have been dealt another significant blow as concern is “high,” according to coach Jared Bednar, over a Nathan MacKinnon injury.
The Avs superstar forward has flown back to Denver amid a brief two-game road trip to be re-evaluated, Bednar said Tuesday.
MacKinnon got into a third-period fight Sunday night against the Minnesota Wild with defenseman Matt Dumba. MacKinnon was standing up for teammate Mikko Rantanen, who had gotten hit by Dumba seconds earlier.
MacKinnon won the fight, laying Dumba to the ice with a big right hand, and showed no signs of injury or discomfort afterward. He remained in the game, taking five shifts in the final 11:22 following his fight.
MacKinnon flew back to Denver to be further examined, JB says. Concern is "high" …
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) March 29, 2022Nathan MacKinnon is going back to Denver for evaluations. "It's possible" it stemmed from his fight, per Jared Bednar.
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) March 29, 2022The news is obviously far from ideal and the fact that MacKinnon has returned to Denver suggests this could be something serious. Colorado is already without captain Gabriel Landeskog, who underwent knee surgery two weeks ago.
While the news of MacKinnon’s injury is a blow, the team will see the debut of forward Artturi Lehkonen. He was skating on the Avs’ second line alongside Alex Newhook and Andre Burakovsky.
The Avs take on the Calgary Flames tonight before returning home for a two-game homestand. Heading into Tuesday night’s game, Colorado holds the league’s best record at 46-14-6.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.