Two Stanley Cup Playoff contenders took a blow this past week when it comes to injuries, starting with one of the hotter teams in the league in the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team that is surprising the NHL with a competitive run that has them within striking distance in the Eastern Conference lost defenseman Seth Jones to a serious ankle injury. Jones is listed as out indefinitely with the injury that occurred in the team's 2-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. That was just the first loss in the past 10 games for the Jackets.
The team officially placed Jones on injured reserve, as this team will look a bit different on the ice without their blue liner, who leads the team with an average of 25:17 of ice time per game. Jones has been productive for the Blue Jackets, taking over as one of their top stars after they lost Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Matt Duchene in the off-season. He did score the lone goal of Saturdays game before going down and does have 24 assists this season, one year after he made the All-Star team in the East.
Speaking of the Colorado Avalanche, they also lost a key component of their team, as forward Nazem Kadri is listed as out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. The news was revealed after the team's morning skate on Tuesday, stating that Kadri would be out for weeks. The forward took an awkward fall in the second period of Colorado's 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild and exited after that, as it looked as if he twisted his left leg. He did return to the ice for a faceoff in the third period, but immediately left after one shift and did not return.
The 29-year-old did have an assist within 14 shifts and 10:06 of ice time on Sunday, and has been a major addition for the Avalanche, who find themselves in a divisional playoff spot in the Central. He has recorded 19 goals and 36 points in his first season with the Avalanche, as he ranks second behind Nathan MacKinnon for goals on the team. Before joining the Mile High City, Kadri spent 10 NHL seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who traded him to the Avalanche for Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot last summer.
The team officially placed Jones on injured reserve, as this team will look a bit different on the ice without their blue liner, who leads the team with an average of 25:17 of ice time per game. Jones has been productive for the Blue Jackets, taking over as one of their top stars after they lost Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Matt Duchene in the off-season. He did score the lone goal of Saturdays game before going down and does have 24 assists this season, one year after he made the All-Star team in the East.
Speaking of the Colorado Avalanche, they also lost a key component of their team, as forward Nazem Kadri is listed as out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. The news was revealed after the team's morning skate on Tuesday, stating that Kadri would be out for weeks. The forward took an awkward fall in the second period of Colorado's 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild and exited after that, as it looked as if he twisted his left leg. He did return to the ice for a faceoff in the third period, but immediately left after one shift and did not return.
The 29-year-old did have an assist within 14 shifts and 10:06 of ice time on Sunday, and has been a major addition for the Avalanche, who find themselves in a divisional playoff spot in the Central. He has recorded 19 goals and 36 points in his first season with the Avalanche, as he ranks second behind Nathan MacKinnon for goals on the team. Before joining the Mile High City, Kadri spent 10 NHL seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who traded him to the Avalanche for Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot last summer.
