Avalanche's Darcy Kuemper Exits with Upper-Body Injury in Game 1 vs. Oilers

The Colorado Avalanche announced that goaltender Darcy Kuemper left and is doubtful to return to Game 1 of his team's Western Conference Final matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday with an upper-body injury.

It's unclear how Kuemper suffered the injury, but he did leave on his own power in the second period after speaking with head coach Jared Bednar.

Pavel Francouz replaced Kuemper, who made 13 saves on 16 shots in 27-plus minutes. The Avs led 6-3 when he left the game.

The 32-year-old Kuemper went 37-12-4 with a 2.54 GAA and .921 save percentage in his first year with the Avs. The 10-year NHL veteran played for the Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks before arriving in Colorado.

Thanks in part to his efforts, the Avs finished with a Western Conference-high 119 points. They have home-ice advantage in the conference final versus the Oilers as they search for their first Stanley Cup appearance since 2000.