Colorado Avalanche: News From Around the NHL October 27th, 2014

A minor league game had to be suspended over the weekend due to a player being cut.

A bloody in-game injury led to the suspension of a Southern Professional Hockey League game on Saturday night.

Huntsville Havoc centre Justin Cseter and Peoria Rivermen player Dennis Sicard were chasing after a loose puck during the second period Saturday when Sicard’s skate clipped Cseter’s right thigh. Cseter suffered a large, deep gash, which bled heavily.

(Warning: the images in the video are graphic)

What's going on with MacKinnon? Duchene isn't worried.

The Colorado Avalanche’s problems don’t start and end with reigning Calder Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon, but on a team that has averaged just 2.22 goals per contest, his nine-game goal scoring drought has stood out. Especially seeing as it fans the fears that MacKinnon might be the latest player to experience a sophomore slump.

“I think that’s a bunch of crap,” Matt Duchene told the Denver Post. “If he just keeps skating and working hard, he’s going to get one fluky goal and it is going to take off from there.”

Plus it’s worth noting that MacKinnon only had one goal in his first 12 games last season and still ended up with 24 markers. Of course the circumstances were different back then. MacKinnon was getting used to playing in the NHL and was being eased into the lineup. He averaged just 13:33 minutes per game in October 2013.

Foligno leaves the game on a stretcher.

Another day, another health scare for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Left-winger Nick Foligno was seriously injured during Sunday afternoon’s 5-2 loss in Los Angeles when he was checked by Jeff Carter in front of the Kings bench and rammed into the elbow of linesman Shane Heyer, who had jumped on top of the dasher to avoid both players.

Foligno was taken off the ice at Staples Center on a stretcher with 11:34 left in the third period.

The Blue Jackets tweeted that Foligno was conscious and talking with the Kings medical staff.

"You're more concerned about your teammate and the person than you are about the game. The game obviously becomes secondary," coach Todd Richards said. "My understanding is that he's alert, and he'll be travelling back with us."