Nathan MacKinnon Injury Gives Avalanche 'High' Level of Concern, Jared Bednar Says

The Colorado Avalanche announced Tuesday that All-Star center Nathan MacKinnon won't play against the Calgary Flames because of an upper-body injury. 

Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters MacKinnon is going back to Denver for further evaluation and there is a "high" level of concern about the injury. 

Bednar added it is "possible" MacKinnon suffered the setback from a fight during Sunday's 3-2 loss against the Minnesota Wild. 

While the team is listing MacKinnon's injury as an upper-body issue, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post noted he could have hurt his hand in the fight. 

The skirmish occurred early in the third period when Wild defenseman Matt Dumba delivered a high hit near the head of Mikko Rantanen. MacKinnon dropped his gloves to defend his teammate. The two men traded a series of hard blows to the head, back and neck. 

MacKinnon and Dumba were both assessed five-minute major penalties, and there was no indication in the aftermath of the fight anything was wrong. MacKinnon came back into the game to finish the third period and overtime. 

Losing him for an extended period would be a huge blow for the Avs, though they lead the NHL with 98 points and 46 wins and have a comfortable 10-point lead over the Flames for the top seed in the Western Conference with 16 games remaining. 

Injuries have been an issue for MacKinnon this season. He missed eight games from Nov. 11 to Nov. 27 with a lower-body injury. The Canada native missed the All-Star festivities and four games from Jan. 28 to Feb. 10 with a concussion and facial fracture suffered on a hit by Taylor Hall of the Boston Bruins in a Jan. 26 win. 

MacKinnon ranks third on the team in assists (48), fourth in points (70) and fifth in goals (22). 

Colorado's offense will run through Nazem Kadri as it has all season. The 31-year-old is seventh in the league with 55 assists and is tied for eighth with 81 points in 63 games.