NHL News: Nathan MacKinnon out 3 weeks for Avs; Sens add Josh Brown to COVID list; and John Tavares game-time decision
Anthony Scultore
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Colorado Avalanche star forward Nathan MacKinnon will miss approximately three weeks with a lower-body injury, coach Jared Bednar announced Wednesday.
MacKinnon, 26, sustained the injury during Colorado’s 4-2 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
“Give or take three weeks,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said via NHL.com. “Happened in the game the other night.”
MacKinnon has recorded a team-high-tying 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in eight games this season. He missed the first two games of the season while in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
He has totaled 570 points (211 goals, 359 assists) in 581 career games since the Avalanche selected him with the top overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft.
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Sens add Josh Brown to COVID List
Defenseman Josh Brown on Wednesday became the sixth Ottawa Senators player to enter the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol in the past week.
Brown, 27, joins fellow blueliners Victor Mete and Nick Holden and forwards Connor Brown, Dylan Gambrell and Austin Watson. Associate coach Jack Capuano is also in the protocol.
The Senators canceled Monday’s practice as a precaution.
Josh Brown has skated in 12 games this season, including Tuesday night’s 3-2 road loss to the Boston Bruins. He has not yet recorded a point.
The fourth-year veteran has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) and 104 penalty minutes in 131 career games with the Florida Panthers (2018-20) and Senators.
Ottawa hosts the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. The Kings have won six games in a row.
John Tavares Game-Time decision
Tavares, 31, suffered an undisclosed injury in the Leafs loss to the Kings. The Leafs captain has 13 points in 13 games played this season. He and Ondrej Kase are game-time decisions.
“Both guys are on the ice here still, they are preparing to play,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Obviously, that’s positive from where they were at yesterday but they are going to be game-time decisions so we won’t really know until after warmups.”
The Leafs face the Flyers on Wednesday night at 7:30 PM ET.
–Field Level Media contributed to this report.