Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Ruled out for opening round

Drouin (lower body) will miss Colorado's first-round series against Winnipeg.

Drouin was hurt late in the second period of Thursday's regular-season finale, and the injury is serious enough to keep the winger sidelined for the opening round of the playoffs. It's a big loss for the Avs -- Drouin had a career-high 56 points (19 goals, 37 assists) in 79 games, including 18 (seven goals, 11 assists) in his final 15 contests. With Drouin out, Artturi Lehkonen or Zach Parise could be bumped up to Colorado's top line, while Joel Kiviranta will likely reenter the lineup.