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Change of plans: Stastny (leg) won’t face Chicago after all

Paul Stastny

The day after expressing confidence that Paul Stastny would be in against the Blackhawks, Patrick Roy changed it up.

“Paul won’t play tonight,” Roy said following the morning skate in Chicago, per the Denver Post. “He’s not ready.”

Stastny, 28, left Saturday’s game versus Minnesota with an apparent leg injury midway through the second period. He didn’t take another shift and finished with just 10:06 TOI but, on Monday, Roy told the Post he didn’t think the injury was serious and said Stastny would face the ‘Hawks tonight at the United Center.

Losing Stastny for any length of time would be big. He’s having a banner campaign for the Avs this season, sitting third on the team in scoring — 34 points in 43 games — while averaging over 18-and-a-half minutes per night. He’s also been remarkably effective on the power play, leading the team with eight assists, and was rewarded for his fine play by being named to the U.S. Olympic team on Jan. 1.

It’s likely that Team USA GM David Poile’s paying close attention to Stastny’s injury situation. Stastny is one of the centers Poile picked for the American team and, in various interviews, the Nashville GM has been adamant about his desire to carry five centers for Sochi.