It looks like the Avalanche will have to make do without leading scorer Matt Duchene for a while. He's experiencing concussion-like symptoms and isn't likely to play Sunday against Boston at the Pepsi Center.

After that, who knows?

Duchene, who leads the Avalanche in goals (six) and points (11), was injured on a hit by Winnipeg defenseman Jacob Trouba in the second period Friday. He returned later in the period but didn't play in the third and overtime of Colorado's 3-2 win.

Duchene didn't practice Saturday, and he'll be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.

"I guess he got hit and it kind of caught him in the eye,” coach Jared Bednar said. “So he had some blurry vision. So that’s why he was off getting evaluated, and then he didn’t feel so good. (The training staff) kept him out and this morning he was better, but not 100 percent, so he didn’t skate today.

"He’s got concussion-like symptoms, but (Sunday) will be a big day, see how he comes in and then we can kind of go from there. He’s day to day at this point, so we just have to see if he feels good and can skate, and then he’ll probably have to do another test to see if he’s able to play or not.

"He was driving the net and I think Trouba caught him up high with the stick and part of his hand, whatever it was. He came off right away. He played a couple more shifts, I think, and his (vision) was kind of messed up, so he was going to go off at the intermission and get evaluated.”

Bednar said he thought Trouba should have been penalized, but he doesn't see a need for supplemental discipline.

“I think he catches him high," Bednar said. "(Trouba) gets caught coming straight at him and kind of jukes him, and I think it was incidental contact. He was going one way and he clipped him. There’s nothing intentional there in my mind. I just think he got caught in a bad spot and part of his stick or glove or whatever hit him up high. I don’t think there’s anything there to look at.”

Duchene was centering a line with left wing Mikko Rantanen and right wing Nathan MacKinnon when he was injured. MacKinnon moved to center after Duchene left, skating with Gabriel Landeskog and Rantanen. The three practiced together Saturday and are expected to play that way against the Bruins.

"He's one of our best players and we rely heavy on him," Landeskog said of Duchene. "Other guys have to step up. Really, that's the bottom line. Matt's been playing a lot of minutes in all different situations, but we have a lot of confidence in the group that we have in here. It means that we have to find ways to win hockey games without him."

The Avalanche called up 6-feet-3, 204-pound forward A.J. Greer from AHL San Antonio, where he had five goals and nine assists in 13 games. Greer, 19, was their second-round pick (No. 39) in the 2015 NHL draft.

The Avalanche have been carrying one extra forward, and Blake Comeau is expected to miss his fourth consecutive game because of a groin injury. He practiced Saturday on a line with Carl Soderberg and Rene Bourque, but Bednar doesn't think he is ready to play yet.

“This groin thing’s been going back and forth for him,” Bednar said. “So I think the plan for him is to have three or four good days of skating and when he feels real strong and explosive, then get him in the game, so something’s not acting up on him again. We want him at 100 percent because he's a guy who can help us with his speed, penalty killing, physicality.”

*****

Defenseman Fedor Tyutin didn't practice Saturday and might not be available Sunday after getting hit on the arm with a shot Friday.

"A shot in the forearm,” Bednar said. “He’s sore, so he was getting it looked at. I think everything’s come back to this point; he’s fine, there’s no fracture or anything, so he’s also day to day right now. We’ll see about him (Sunday) morning, too, see if the arm is feeling better.”

*****

Goalie Semyon Varlamov will start after making 16 saves Friday, including one a Blake Wheeler breakaway in overtime. Bourque was credited with the winning goal when Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers inadvertently scored into his own net at 1:23 of the extra period.

"Good save at the right time," said Varlamov, who lost his previous five games while allowing 20 goals. "That's what the team needs right now. The goalie needs to step up and make those key saves. That's what everybody expects from us.

"I felt good. I felt strong mentally. I had a tough stretch, didn't play well. I don't want to talk about what happened in the past, it's history. I'm looking forward to playing against Boston. We played solidly defensively, we didn't have that many turnovers. Every time we play like that, we have success, I think."



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