Matt Calvert is unfit to play Game 3 against Dallas

EDMONTON, ALBERTA – When the Avalanche get bad medical news in the playoffs about a player, the news almost never seems to get any better. So it is with Matt Calvert, who will miss Game 3 tonight against the Dallas Stars.

Calvert is “unfit to play” again against the Stars, with an injury that seemed to have occurred between warmup and puck drop of Game 1 on Saturday. Calvert was seen skating and even jumping into a teammate as part of a ritual, and hasn’t been seen since.

Calvert’s absence has been a major loss for the Avs in the series, as it has disrupted the great chemistry of the fourth line that was him, P.E. Bellemare and Matt Nieto.

The Avs are in must-win territory now. A loss tonight, and they’ll be down 3-0 and only a handful of teams in NHL history have pulled off such a comeback in a best-of-seven series.

The Avs will start Pavel Francouz in goal again, with Anton Khudobin in net for Dallas.

Jared Bednar said today he may tinker with his line combinations somewhat, but will keep the top line intact.

The game starts at 8:30.