Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon left Thursday’s game against the Ottawa Senators in the second period after a collision with defenseman Artem Zub caused a midsection injury, possibly involving his hip. MacKinnon went down immediately, took a moment to get up, skated to the bench, and then exited the arena via the tunnel.
The injury to MacKinnon came just over a minute after teammate Cale Makar suffered a lower-body injury on a seemingly routine play. Makar, who had missed practice earlier in the week due to an injury, had traveled with the team and played in Toronto before this game. He took only one shift in the second period, lasting 27 seconds, before leaving the ice.
Despite losing two of their biggest stars during the game, the Avalanche managed to score a power-play goal, narrowing the gap against the Senators. However, before the second period ended, Parker Kelly also went down with an apparent injury and skated directly to the tunnel.
Makar’s injury raises further concern as he had already been listed as questionable due to earlier issues. Colorado Hockey Now noted Makar’s exit from Sunday’s practice was for precautionary reasons, and the Avalanche recalled a rookie defenseman recently, possibly connected to Makar’s status.
No official details have been released about the severity of the injuries to MacKinnon, Makar, or Kelly. The Avalanche face uncertainty over the availability of two of their top players as the season progresses.
The team will now assess their lineup moving forward while dealing with these setbacks from a game where injuries dramatically altered their roster on the ice.
According to Yahoo Sports.
