NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Following Avalanche practice Monday at Bridgestone Arena, centers Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Jost said they feel lucky. MacKinnon feels fortunate to have complete eyesight and Jost is happy to have escaped what could have been a broken leg.
Both will play Tuesday when the Avs conclude a two-game trip against the defending Western Conference champion Nashville Predators.
“It was scary,” MacKinnon said of the eye injury that forced him out of Thursday’s 3-1 win over Anaheim. “It hit me so hard that I didn’t know if I was going to be OK or not. The pain was bad, but just a lot of thoughts coming through my head, laying on the ice. My eye was bleeding.”
MacKinnon was struck in his right eye by the toe-end of Derek Grant’s stick as the Ducks’ center was trying to lift MacKinnon’s stick beside the Anaheim net. MacKinnon did not return to the game but played Saturday night in a 3-1 loss at Dallas. MacKinnon said he lost his eyesight for about 10 minutes.
“I couldn’t open up my eye,” he said. “Really scary stuff.”
Nathan MacKinnon talks about his scary eye injury last week. He’s good to go here in Nashville #Avs pic.twitter.com/9yMjHIaN9J
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) October 16, 2017
Jost was cross-checked into the boards by Boston defenseman Adam McQuaid in last week’s 6-3 win over the visiting Bruins. He injured his left knee, but returned to the game and scored an empty-net goal. However, a bone bruise developed below the knee and Jost missed the two ensuing games against Anaheim and Dallas.
“Pretty bad,” Jost said. “But at least I didn’t break my leg. I didn’t shatter anything. I got lucky.”
Jared Bednar talks about injuries and Tuesday’s game here in Nashville #Avs pic.twitter.com/YK6W5Pe7Qp
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) October 16, 2017
“I think we dodged a little bit of a bullet there, him missing only a couple games,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said of Jost.
In other injury news, defenseman Patrik Nemeth is out indefinitely with a shoulder ailment. Nemeth went down Saturday at Dallas, injuring his shoulder in a fight against the Stars’ Tyler Seguin. Nemeth returned to Denver for further evaluation.
“I’m unsure on exactly how long he’s going to be out and what his prognosis is,” Bednar said.
Rookie Anton Lindholm will replace Nemeth in the lineup Tuesday, with Chris Bigras likely moving up to play with Tyson Barrie on the second pairing.
Footnotes. Goalie Semyon Varlamov will make his second consecutive start Tuesday. … First-year Avs forward Colin Wilson played his eight previous NHL seasons with Nashville, which selected him with the seventh pick in the 2008 draft.
COLORADO AT NASHVILLE, 6 p.m. Tuesday, ALT, 950 AM
Spotlight on Colin Wilson
The first-year Avalanche forward played his eight previous NHL seasons with Nashville, which selected him with the seventh pick in the 2008 draft. Wilson, 27, was traded to Colorado on July 1 for a 2019 fourth-round draft pick. He played in 502 career regular-season games and 47 playoff games for the Predators, who lost in the Stanley Cup Final in June. Wilson rents his Nashville home to a Preds player and will play in his first game against his former team. “Definitely weird being on this side of things,” Wilson said from the visiting locker room at Bridgestone Arena. “Being in different colors on the ice is an adjustment.”
NOTEBOOK
Avalanche: Defenseman Patrik Nemeth is unavailable with a shoulder injury. He returned to Denver after sustaining the injury in a fight Saturday in a 3-1 loss at Dallas. Nemeth will be replaced in the lineup by rookie Anton Lindholm. … Rookie center Tyson Jost will return to the lineup after missing two games with a bone bruise below his left knee. He feels fortunate his collision with the boards last week against Boston didn’t result in a broken leg. “Pretty bad,” Jost said. “But at least I didn’t break my leg. I didn’t shatter anything. I got lucky.” Said Avs coach Jared Bednar: “I think we dodged a little bit of a bullet there, him missing only a couple games.” … Nathan MacKinnon is sporting a larger, fish bowl-type visor to protect the tenderness in his right eye, which he injured last week against Anaheim from an errant Ducks stick. “It was scary,” MacKinnon said of the incident that caused him to lose his vision for 10 minutes. “I couldn’t open up my eye,” he said. “Really scary stuff.” … Goalie Semyon Varlamov will make his second consecutive start.
Predators: They are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss at Chicago. In their last home game Thursday, they defeated Dallas 4-1. … Former Avalanche fourth-line forward and middleweight enforcer Cody McLeod has a team-high 29 penalty minutes, second most in the NHL. He leads the NHL with three fighting majors. Last season, he led the league with 19 fights. McLeod didn’t play in Nashville’s loss at Chicago. … Defenseman Ryan Ellis is out because of off-season knee surgery. Defenseman and team captain Roman Josi is questionable with a lower-body injury. Josi has missed three games.
— Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
