Avalanche G Grubauer leaves injured

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer left Saturday night's playoff game against the Dallas Stars early in the second period with an apparent left leg injury.

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer left Saturday night's playoff game against the Dallas Stars early in the second period with an apparent left leg injury. Grubauer lunged to his right to make a save, then grabbed at his left groin area and fell down on his stomach in apparent pain. Referees whistled the play dead as the Stars regained control of the puck near the blue line.

After being tended to by a trainer, Grubauer was helped off the ice without putting any weight on his left leg. He was replaced by Pavel Francouz. The 28-year-old Grubauer entered Saturday's game with a 1.49 goals-against average -- best of any goalie with at least three appearances this postseason -- and a .937 save percentage (third best) in six playoff games. However, he allowed three goals on 10 shots in 23:06 of ice time against Dallas before leaving.

Grubauer went 18-12-4 with a 2.63 GAA and .916 save percentage in the regular season, missing time with a lower-body injury sustained in February. Francouz, 30, is in his first full season in the NHL after playing in his native Czech Republic and then in Russia for three seasons. He went 21-7-4 with a 2.41 GAA and .923 save percentage during the regular season and was 1-1 with a 1.02 GAA and .958 save percentage in the playoffs entering Saturday.

The Avalanche were also without forward Matt Calvert for Saturday's game, the opener of the second-round series, after he was deemed unfit to play. Defenseman Erik Johnson left injured in the first period but returned in the second. --Field Level Media