Jared Bednar described Devon Toews’ injury as minor, but a minor tweak can have a major impact on a single game.
With the steady defenseman from Colorado’s top pairing out, the Avalanche inserted Kurtis MacDermid to the lineup Friday night vs. the Seattle Kraken. He can be stationed as a forward as a defender, but his true role is enforcement – evidenced by his triumphant fight in the first period.
But when he needed to race one-on-one to a loose puck in the defensive zone, he got boxed out by Seattle’s Karson Kuhlman. The result was a go-ahead goal with 7:54 remaining in the third period – one that backup goalie Pavel Francouz probably should have saved – and a 3-2 home loss for the Avalanche.