DENVER (AP) -The ailing Colorado Avalanche lost leading scorer Paul Stastny to a knee injury in the first period of Game 3 against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.
It wasn’t immediately apparent how Stastny was injured, but he was examined in the locker room during the first intermission and the team said he was through for the night.
Stastny, whose 71 points during the regular season led the team, was injured on a night when center Peter Forsberg and defenseman Scott Hannan were back in Colorado’s lineup but forward Ryan Smyth was out with a foot injury.
Forsberg didn’t skate before the game, but Colorado coach Joel Quenneville said he skated well Monday.
Quenneville said Smyth might have been injured when he blocked a shot in Game 2. His absence is another serious blow to the banged-up Avalanche, who have been without forward Wojtek Wolski since he suffered what appeared to be a shoulder injury that knocked him out of Game 1.
Hannan, who missed Game 2 with a lower-body ailment, also was listed as probable by Quenneville.
Jose Theodore was back in goal for Colorado. He was pulled in each of the losses in Detroit for poor performances that were blamed on his having the flu. Theodore surrendered eight goals in less than four periods, and backup Peter Budaj stopped 19 of 20 shots in his place.
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