Injuries Playing Big Role

DENVER —  Colorado center Joe Sakic missed his second consecutive game Friday, although he took part in the morning skate. With a 3-1 series lead before the Kings’ 1-0 victory Friday night, the Avalanche felt no need for him to risk additional injury to his sore right shoulder, which was injured when he was checked by Jozef Stumpel and Jere Karalahti early in Game 3.

King winger Adam Deadmarsh disputed reports that he has a broken bone in his left hand and has been unable to handle the puck because of that. He has no goals and one assist in the series but said there’s no injury to blame that on.

“I don’t have a broken hand,” said Deadmarsh, who injured that hand in his first game as a King, Feb. 24, and missed three games because of what is believed to be a tendon injury. “It’s just something I’ve been dealing with.”

Teammate Kelly Buchberger, however, did not play Friday. His injury has been called an injured leg, but it’s more likely a broken bone. He can barely walk and can’t put pressure on his left foot.

Understandably, he was disappointed to miss his third consecutive game. “This is the funnest time of year,” he said. “This is what it’s all about.”

Former King Rob Blake, struck on the inside of his right foot by a shot taken by Ziggy Palffy in Game 4, played 29 minutes 5 seconds, second only to teammate Adam Foote’s game-high 29 minutes 23 seconds. “Those things are sore for about 10 minutes, and then it goes away,” he said.

Notes

King defenseman Jaroslav Modry, who scored the overtime winner in Game 1, was scratched from the lineup and was replaced by defenseman Andreas Lilja because Coach Andy Murray wanted a more physical element than Modry has been able to provide. . . . The Avalanche switched goalies late in the game to buy a few seconds’ rest, sending David Aebischer in for 32 seconds. He faced no shots. . . . Luc Robitaille, who played on two other teams that rallied from 3-1 deficits in playoff series, said he wasn’t thinking ahead Friday to a possible seventh game. “I didn’t care about Game 6. I just wanted us to play our best game [Friday],” he said. “You can’t think about the next game. You’ve got to think ‘We’ve got to win the next 20 minutes.”