The Colorado Avalanche received some best-case news on Sunday, as coach Patrick Roy confirmed center Matt Duchene will only miss a week with an oblique injury.
Matt Duchene injury update: Center will only miss a week
Duchene’s oblique injury isn’t as bad as feared.
Doug Pensinger
Duchene suffered the injury on Saturday during a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. He exited the game during the third period and didn't return. Roy said Duchene will require at least a week to recover, which is far less than the 4-6 months some Avs fans were fearing.
They had every right to fear, as Duchene has been the Avs’ best player by far with 12 goals and 20 points through 19 games. Rookie Nathan MacKinnon will likely move up to the second line to fill Duchene’s spot in the top six. Colorado doesn’t play again until Tuesday, so that might change after a few practices.
Colorado has lost three in a row and four of its last five games.
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