On Tuesday night, the Colorado Avalanche battled back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the mighty Chicago Blackhawks in overtime, 4-3. Unfortunately, one of their top players was not on the ice to be part of it. Mikko Rantanen was a late scratch due to a lower-body injury.
“He got hit with a puck at the end of pregame skate, so he’s day-to-day,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said postgame.
Having played in 73 games this season, Rantanen is currently tied with Matt Duchene for the team lead in goals, with 18. The 20-year-old also has 18 assists for 36 points. He went pointless in nine NHL games last season, his first in North America.
The Avalanche have been hit with injuries all season. Both Semyon Varlamov and Nikita Zadorov are out for the season. Recently, the injury bug has bit frequently, but not quite as hard.
“We have a bunch of guys, obviously, that are day-to-day,” Bednar said. “All from the same type of injury, lower-body stuff, that hopefully will go away here soon.”
Also currently out with lower-body injuries are forward Blake Comeau and rookie defenseman Anton Lindholm.
