Goaltender Darcy Kuemper injured as Colorado Avalanche outlast Edmonton Oilers in series opener

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche hung on to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 8-6 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night, but the home team lost starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper to an upper-body injury in the process.

Kuemper was late returning to the ice when the second period began, and then left for good at the first TV timeout. He finished with 13 saves on 16 shots. Backup Pavel Francouz backstopped Colorado the rest of the way in an 18-save performance.

Avs coach Jared Bednar had no update on his goaltender after the win.

«We'll see,» was all Bednar said when asked if Kuemper's issue was day-to-day or something potentially longer term.

Depending on the severity of Kuemper's ailment, his extended absence could create a noticeable momentum swing in the series.

Kuemper has been solid throughout the postseason, producing a 6-2-0 record with a .904 save percentage and a 2.44 goals-against average heading into the conference finals. And he's coming off a terrific regular season (37-12-4, .921 SV%, 2.54 GAA) that helped Colorado gain strong positioning for the playoffs.

The 32-year-old was set to play an integral role in lifting Colorado past Edmonton and its bevy of electrifying offensive stars — namely forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — who will attempt to feast on Francouz given the opportunity.

That was already apparent in how Francouz fared coming off the bench. He entered the game when it was 6-3, and gave up goals to McDavid, Derek Ryan and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins late to allow Edmonton to get within one with over seven minutes remaining in regulation.

«We didn't plan to play such a game,» Francouz said, «but we'll take the win. It's obviously easier [to come in] if you have a pretty good lead, so I