Adam Foote detected the warning signs, but played through them — and regretted it. That, he said, was at the heart of the matter that led to his extended absence from the Avalanche lineup before he returned to the ice Saturday night in a 3-1 loss at Detroit.
Foote missed eight games with a concussion, but he is expected to play again tonight against the St. Louis Blues at the Pepsi Center.
He said he originally was injured at New York against the Rangers on Oct. 18, and that it was a mistake to play in the next game, at home three nights later against San Jose. He was on the ice for only 6:58 against the Sharks before shutting it down for the night.
“It happens, and as frustrating as it is, I put myself in that situation, being stubborn and not listening to my body,” Foote said in Detroit after the game Saturday night.
“You can’t mess around with concussions, and usually I bounce back in five to seven days, going by my history. I ignored the hit in New York and got dinged the second night, and it cost me more time. I have to learn from that. It was hard sitting there, but you can’t mess with the head. You have a long life to live, right?”
In his return against Detroit, Foote played 17:15, most often in a pairing with rookie Kevin Shattenkirk, had one blocked shot and was credited with three hits.
Foote’s return left Colorado with eight available defensemen for the Detroit game. David Liffiton was scratched for the third time in four games, while Colby Cohen’s illness was a factor in the decision to keep him out of the lineup. On Sunday, the Avalanche sent Liffiton and Cohen back to the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL.
The only Avalanche goal against the Wings came from defenseman John-Michael Liles, on a 5-on-3, and it was his first goal of the season to go with his 12 assists.
“It’s just one of those things,” Liles said. “Sometimes they come in bunches. I’m just trying to contribute offensively as much as I can, and if that’s assists, if that’s goals, if that’s not even being on the scoresheet, you just try to do what you can to create offense.”
The Avalanche will be playing its third game in four nights against the Blues tonight. If Peter Budaj is back in the net, it will be his ninth consecutive start. After the loss Saturday night, Avalanche coach Joe Sacco didn’t voice any dissatisfaction with Budaj’s play against the Red Wings.
“I thought Peter was fine,” Sacco said. “The second period there, boy, he made some big saves, so the score could have been 4- or 5-0. He was fine, it was more that Detroit came out and was quicker in the game, they had a step on us. . . . It’s not an excuse, but they caught us on the back end of a back-to-back and I certainly think they took advantage of that.”
Terry Frei: 303-954-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com
St. Louis at Colorado
6 p.m. tonight, VS, 950 AM
Spotlight on Jaroslav Halak: The goalie came to the Blues in a June trade with Montreal and then signed a four-year, $15 million deal. He has been terrific in most of his 12 appearances this season, and his save percentage is an impressive .932.
Blues: After a fast start, the Blues have hit a speed bump, losing three in a row, 8-1 at Columbus, 3-2 in a shootout against Nashville and then 5-3 at Phoenix on Saturday night. . . . Blues forward David Backes agreed to a five-year, $22.5 million contract extension last week.
Avalanche: The Avalanche returned to Denver after a loss at Detroit on Saturday night and didn’t practice Sunday. . . . The early start is for the benefit of Versus, and the game also will be on TSN2 in Canada. . . . It is the first of a three- game homestand, which continues against San Jose on Wednesday and the New York Rangers on Friday. Terry Frei, The Denver Post
