Jonathan Drouin exited Wednesday night’s victory with an injury, timetable unknown

The Colorado Avalanche pulled off an improbable comeback victory against the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday night, scoring an empty net goal with just seconds left in the game after being down 2-0 in the third period. After scoring two goals in a shootout, the Avs escaped the Windy City with two points, but it came with a cost.

Jonathan Drouin took an awkward hit along the boards early in the game from a Blackhawks player, and the contact looked to hit him in his knee/lower thigh area. He exited the game after playing just seven shifts and did not return.

“Lower-body injury, he’ll go get evaluated and then we’ll know more,” Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said after the game. “As of this point I don’t really have an update on him except he wasn’t able to go.”

This team needs a healthy Drouin in order to compete for a Stanley Cup in a few weeks. Last season, he missed the first three games of the Avalanche’s first round series against the Dallas Stars after suffering an injury in the final game of the regular season.

Drouin has tallied 11 goals and 26 assists this season and has struggled with injuries, as he has missed 33 games in the first half of the season with upper-body injuries. The top line combination of him, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas has been one of the best offensive lines for Colorado since the trade deadline, and would be a force in a playoff series.

With just six games left in the season, including the second leg of a back-to-back against Columbus Thursday, it might be worth it for the Avalanche to be extra cautious with this injury so he can be good to go for the postseason. The team is practically locked into the No. 3 seed in the Central Division for the playoffs, as they have a seven-point lead over the the Wild and the Blues but also trail Dallas by six points.

If Drouin’s injury keeps him out of the lineup for multiple games, either Ross Colton or Logan O’Connor should get the nod to play more minutes.