Jared Bednar provides bad news on Mikko Rantanen's injury

Rantanen fell awkwardly on the boards and left the game, early in the second period.

The Avs' star was trying to get control of the puck, but received a major hit from Mattias Ekholm instead.

Rantanen struggled to get up and eventually needed help from a referee to get back to the bench.

The Avs head coach, Jared Bednar, confirmed that his evaluation could take awhile.

This could be a big hole to fill in the Avs' lineup. Even if the team gained a lot of depth at the trade deadline, he's one of the best players in the League and with captain Gabriel Landeskog still away from the team, they really relied on his offensive capabilities.

As for the Oilers, Ekholm didn't receive a penalty, and won the game against Colorado 6-2. With that victory, they earned their ticket for the playoffs.

Ekholm will need to bring that same level of intensity if the Oilers want to finally reach the Stanley Cup Finals this year.

Source: Markerzone - Rantanen injured by dirty hit from Ekholm.