Avalanche C Nathan MacKinnon out 2-4 weeks with upper-body injury

The NHL's second-leading scorer will miss at least two weeks.

The Avalanche announced Thursday that center Nathan MacKinnon will be out two to four weeks with an upper body injury.

After further evaluation, Nathan MacKinnon will be out 2-4 weeks. pic.twitter.com/ftGuHDqgdt
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) February 1, 2018

MacKinnon has 24 goals and 37 assists for 61 points, second behind only Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov, and is an early favorite for league MVP honors.

Colorado coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday that MacKinnon was day-to-day, but the team's medical staff determined Thursday the 22-year-old needed more time to heal from a hit he took in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Canucks. The Avalanche will first play without MacKinnon Thursday in Edmonton.

"It’s not a great feeling when you lose a guy like that because of what he means to our team, but I’m excited for the opportunity it presents other guys," Bednar said Thursday. "We need other guys to step up."