Playoff contender loses two important players for multiple games.

The Colorado Avalanche currently hold a spot in the National Hockey League playoffs, but keeping that spot may prove difficult.

The Avalanche made an official announcement on Tuesday, revealing that they have lost two of their core players for at least two games each. Both center Matt Duchene and center Nathan MacKinnon will miss the next two games, leaving the Avalanche with some major holes to fill up the middle. The Avalanche has also revealed that both players are dealing with a knee injury, and those injuries will be evaluated again after the next two games.

The Avalanche currently sit one point ahead of the Minnesota Wild, and they also have an equal number of games to play, however it can be argued that the Avalanche have a tougher schedule down the stretch. To make matters worse, the Avalanche face a red hot Flyers team next, and that will be followed by a must win gamer against the Wild.

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