With the Colorado Avalanche heading to Minnesota looking to close out their first round series with the Wild in game six, things just got a little bit tougher for the Wild. Matt Duchene, Colorado’s leading scorer, will make his first appearance in the playoffs tonight after sitting out the last couple weeks of the regular season, and the first five games of the playoffs with an injured knee.
Duchene was injured when he collided with teammate Jamie McGinn in a late season game with the San Jose Sharks. While the Avalanche haven’t officially announced the nature of the injury, it is believed to be a knee injury.
The team originally announced Duchene would be out roughly four weeks, which would have potentially meant a return for Game 5. Roy was quick to dispell that notion saying, “I don’t think we’ll see him,” following game four. However no one asked about game 6 and Duchene is ready to go tonight.
Matt Duchene was having a remarkable season with 23 goals 47 assists and 70 points in 71 games. The assists and points are both career highs for Duchene. He was also part of Canada’s gold medal winning team at the Sochi Olympics. Matt Duchene was the Avalanche’s first pick, third overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
The Avalanche are also without forward John Mitchell, who is out with a head injury. Roy said that Mitchell is still not ready to play.
Colorado lost Alex Tanguay for the season to hip and knee injuries earlier in the season.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
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