Avalanche rule out crucial winger for entire first-round series against Jets

The Colorado Avalanche will be without top-line left wing Jonathan Drouin for the entire first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Avalanche play the Winnipeg Jets in the opening round, with Game 1 set for face-off on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.

Drouin, who had a career season with 19 goals and 56 points during the regular season, suffered an lower-body injury when he tripped in the second period of Thursday night's meaningless regular-season finale against the Edmonton Oilers.

Drouin, 29, was signed as a free agent last summer.

"Super unfortunate. I feel really bad for him," linemate and NHL Hart Trophy (MVP) candidate Nathan MacKinnon said via the Associated Press and ESPN.com. "I know he's crushed right now. He's been building all season for this. We can't replace him. Obviously it sucks for the team, but for him as a person, it's just so sad. Hopefully, we get him back sooner or later."

Drouin and MacKinnon are good friends.

MacKinnon, who had 140 points to finish second in the scoring race to Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, is the center of the Avalanche's top line. The right wing on the unit is Mikko Rantanen, who had 42 goals and 62 assists for 104 points.

"That's a tough one for us," Colorado forward Zach Parise said. "He's had a great season. He's had some really good chemistry with those guys on the 5-on-5 and on the power play. We have to, as a group, pick up the slack."

Parise replaced Drouin on the line with MacKinnon and Rantanen at practice on Saturday. But coach Jared Bednar said that did not mean that Parise would be in that spot on Sunday.