Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon out Thursday vs. Oilers

Nathan MacKinnon was forced to leave the game after running into Alex Edler of the Vancouver Canucks. MacKinnon was in some discomfort on the bench.

Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon will miss Thursday night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, the team announced on Wednesday.

MacKinnon left Tuesday’s loss to the Vancouver Canucks after suffering an upper-body injury in the second period following a hit from Alexander Edler. The 22-year-old centre appeared to be favouring his left shoulder on the bench before heading to the locker-room.

MacKinnon is in the midst of his best NHL season and, with 61 points in 49 games, currently trails only Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov in league scoring.

— With files from Canadian Press

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