DENVER — Winnipeg defenseman Brenden Dillon missed the 5-1 loss in Game 4 to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday because of a hand laceration that required stitches.
Dillon was apparently cut by a skate blade during a scrum after the final horn of Colorado’s 6-2 win in Game 3 on Friday. Dillon skated toward the locker room holding his bleeding left hand. There was blood on the ice and on the back of Avalanche forward Brandon Duhaime‘s jersey.
The Jets are hoping Dillon will be available for Game 5 on Tuesday in Winnipeg. They trail the series 3-1.
“Fortunately, there is no damage at all,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said of Dillon’s hand injury. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of stitches holding it together, so our doctors are a little hesitant to put him back in this quick. If you asked him, he’d play. He’d just tape the whole hand up and play. He has that much desire.”
Dillon had eight goals and 12 assists in 77 games during the regular season. He has three assists in the series.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.