LOS ANGELES — Even though he was with his teammates here Saturday, walking and seeming to chat casually with others, Kyle Cumiskey did not play against the Los Angeles Kings because of a concussion.
Cumiskey, one of the Avs’ surprise performers this season, was hurt after taking a hit to the head by Phoenix’s Martin Hanzal in Friday’s 2-1 Colorado victory.
Coach Joe Sacco was unsure how long Cumiskey would be out, but the Avs’ next game won’t be until March 1 because of the Olympics break.
“I guess if there’s a silver lining to be found, that’s it,” Sacco said. “But anytime he’s not in our lineup, we miss his speed and ability to get the puck out of our end in a hurry.”
Captain Adam Foote also was not able to play against L.A. because of back spasms that bothered him in Friday’s game and forced his early exit.
Veterans John-Michael Liles and Ruslan Salei replaced Foote and Cumiskey. For Salei, it was only his second game of the season, following back surgery. Liles had been a healthy scratch recently.
Footnotes.
Although the Avalanche’s full roster was at the Staples Center on Saturday morning, only a couple of players skated on the ice. Everyone else either took some treatment, such as a massage, or worked on their equipment. . . . Right wing David Jones also was with the team and seems to be walking pain-free following surgery for a torn ACL. But a longer rehab remains for Jones, and there is no timetable on a possible return this season. . . . One of the additions to both sides of Craig Anderson’s new goalie masks are Corvette engine-powered snow sleds, racing down a mountain and kicking off sparks. Anderson changed the helmet before Wednesday’s against Atlanta.
