Lehkonen, Malinski out for Avalanche in Game 4 of West 2nd Round with upper-body injuries

Lehkonen, a forward, and Malinski, a defenseman, both missed the game with an upper-body injury. Each had played in every Stanley Cup Playoff game for Colorado entering Monday.

Lehkonen, who plays left wing on the Avalanche’s top line with center Nathan MacKinnon and right wing Martin Necas, has six points (three goals, three assists) in seven games this postseason.

Malinski, who plays on the second defense pair with Brett Kulak, has three points (one goal, two assists) in seven playoff games. He scored the first postseason goal of his NHL career in Game 1, a 9-6 win against the Wild.

Josh Manson returned for Colorado after missing the previous four games with an upper-body injury he sustained in Game 3 of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings.

Jack Ahcan, a defenseman, made his NHL playoff debut. The 28-year-old had two assists in 11 games with the Avalanche this season. He spent most of the season with the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, where he had 50 points (11 goals, 39 assists) in 61 games.