As the Avalanche was beginning practice Monday, the team announced that leading scorer Matt Duchene would be unavailable for about four weeks because of the left knee injury he suffered Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.
That timetable would mean he almost certainly would miss the first round of the playoffs, but possibly be available in the second round, if the Avalanche advances.Colorado's first-round opponent almost certainly will be the Chicago Blackhawks, and the series will open April 16 in Chicago or April 17 in Denver, depending on which team finishes second in the Central Division and secures the home-ice advantage.
The Avalanche (47-21-6) leads the Blackhawks (42-19-15) by one point in the standings.
Without Duchene, the Avalanche's major options, at least in the short term, are to slide John Mitchell into his spot centering Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn, or to move Nathan MacKinnon back to center. Mitchell centered the line against San Jose after Duchene was hurt on his first shift, but MacKinnon was skating there in the initial stages of practice Monday.