The Colorado Avalanche will be without starting goaltender Philipp Grubauer and defenceman Erik Johnson “indefinitely,” head coach Jared Bednar announced Monday.
Both players were injured during the Avalanche’s Round 2 series opener against the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.
Grubauer was already officially ruled out for Monday’s Game 2. He suffered what appeared to be a groin injury in the second period of Game 1. After making a sliding save, Grubauer went down immediately and remained on the ice for a few minutes before being helped off.
The netminder is no stranger to this type of injury, having suffered a similar ailment earlier this season. Backup Pavel Francouz stepped in in his absence and saved 18 of 20 shots in the team’s eventual 5-3 loss.
Johnson blocked a shot with his leg in the first period of Saturday’s matchup, and tried several times to return to action but was ultimately shut down. He’ll be replaced by defenceman Kevin Connauton.
The Avalanche also announced that forward Matt Calvert is also unavailable for Game 2 on Monday night. He missed Game 1 for undisclosed reasons, being deemed “unfit to play.”
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