Much like what happened with Columbus and James Wisniewski’s injury, a worrisome incident formed a dark cloud over the Colorado Avalanche’s 3-2 win against the Phoenix Coyotes. The Denver Post’s Adrian Dater reports that talented but inconsistent Avs forward Matt Duchene appeared to injured his right knee in tonight’s game.
The Avalanche will gauge the severity of Duchene’s injury when he undergoes an MRI on Friday.
Much like Colorado as a whole, Duchene has had an up-and-down season. He’s shown flashes of the brilliance that made him shoot up the 2009 draft charts all the way to third overall (his hat trick and assist against the Dallas Stars was particularly impressive). Unfortunately, his offense has been absent on many other occasions. Duchene has a disappointing 24 points in 39 games, including just a goal and an assist in his last seven contests.
Perhaps a little time off the ice might do Duchene some big-picture good because for all of these concerns, he’s still a promising talent at just 20 years old.