Colorado Avalanche left wing Mikko Rantanen (96) skates past Minnesota Wild right wing Ryan Donato (6) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in St. Paul, Minn., on March 19, 2019. The Colorado Avalanche may have All-Star forward Mikko Rantanen back for the start of their first-round playoff series against Calgary. Rantanen has been sidelined since suffering a lower-body injury at Dallas on March 21. Rantanen is second on the team with 87 points and third in goals with 31. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Craig Lassig
April 08, 2019 - 1:39 PM
DENVER - The Colorado Avalanche may have All-Star forward Mikko Rantanen back for the start of their first-round playoff series against Calgary.
Rantanen has been sidelined since suffering a lower-body injury at Dallas on March 21. Rantanen is second on the team with 87 points and third in goals with 31.
The right winger wore a red, no-contact jersey Monday at practice. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said after afterward that Rantanen has been "progressing like just we hoped" and that he could be a potential player for Game 1 in Calgary on Thursday night.
Rantanen's return would reunite him with fellow All-Stars Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. The trio has combined for 261 points and 106 goals this season.
___
More AP NHL: www.apnews.com/NHL and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports
News from © The Associated Press, 2019