The Colorado Avalanche conclude their Canadian road trip tonight at Bell Center against the Montreal Canadiens.
The team will be without two of their top players for the contest, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed that defenseman Cale Makar will miss two weeks of action, while forward Nathan MacKinnon is expected to be sidelined for the next month.
The injuries occurred during a recent 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators.
MacKinnon sustained an injury after a cross-check from Ottawa player Artem Zub, while Makar left the game for undisclosed reasons not related to a physical hit.
Despite the personnel losses, Bednar expressed confidence in his team’s recent performance.
“I liked our effort all around,” Bednar stated in his postgame comments.
He added that the team displayed a gutsy effort despite running without key contributors for half of the game.
The Avalanche have secured three of a possible four points during their current road trip.
To address the roster gaps, the organization has recalled Gavin Brindley from Loveland.
Additionally, defenseman Alex Gagne is set to make his NHL debut against Montreal.
The Canadiens enter the matchup sharing the Atlantic Division lead with Tampa.
Montreal is also managing its own injury challenges, including a long-term ankle issue for Ivan Demidov and a lower body injury for Chris Kreider.
Montreal forward Cole Caufield and defenseman Lane Hutson currently lead their team in points with 18 each.
The Avalanche remain focused on maintaining their position in the Central Division standings.
A victory tonight would keep Colorado within striking distance of the second-place Nashville Predators.
The team continues to rely on goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, who is expected to start in net.
The clubs are scheduled to complete their season series on November 25 at Ball Arena.
Fans can follow the action via local broadcasts or NHL Center Ice.