Lehkonen scored a goal on five shots, dished an assist, added two hits and went plus-3 in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Hurricanes.
Lehkonen set up Nathan MacKinnon for a game-tying goal at 15:49 of the second period and then scored the go-ahead marker less than a minute later. This was Lehkonen's second multi-point effort over three appearances this season. He has two goals, two assists, 11 shots on net and a plus-3 rating since he returned from shoulder surgery. Lehkonen is shining on the top line, but it's unclear if he'll stay there once Jonathan Drouin (upper body) or Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) return to the lineup.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Pair of points in season debut
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Lehkonen scored a power-play goal on three shots and added an assist in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Kraken.
Lehkonen missed nearly a full month of the regular season while wrapping up his recovery from shoulder surgery in May. The 29-year-old didn't look to have missed a beat, playing 22:25 in his season debut. His return is a welcome one for the Avalanche, who have been running thin on depth due to injuries early in the campaign. Lehkonen should be a lock for top-six minutes as long as he remains healthy, and he's worth a look in all fantasy formats.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Activated from IR
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Lehkonen (shoulder) was activated from injured reserve Sunday.
Lehkonen will rejoin the Avalanche on Tuesday against Seattle for his season debut. The 29-year-old winger, who underwent shoulder surgery in late May, should slot back into Colorado's top six after totaling 16 goals and 34 points in 45 games during the 2023-24 regular season.
Lehkonen (shoulder) is expected to make his season debut versus the Kraken on Tuesday, Ryan Boulding of NHL.com reports.
Getting a forward back from injury would be a welcome sight for the injury-ravaged Avalanche. The 29-year-old has already missed 11 games and will likely miss one more, Saturday in Nashville, before making his return. Assuming all goes well, Lehkonen would take on a top-six role and power-play time.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Will be evaluated Oct. 28
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Lehkonen (shoulder) will meet with the team doctor Oct. 28 to be evaluated, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette on Wednesday.
Lehkonen and the Avalanche should have a better idea of his timetable after that meeting. The 29-year-old forward hasn't played yet in 2024-25. He had 16 goals and 34 points in 45 regular-season outings last campaign.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Moves to non-roster list
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Lehkonen (shoulder) was put on the injured non-roster list Monday.
Lehkonen has been ruled out for the first month of the 2024-25 campaign. He produced 16 goals and 34 points in 45 contests during the 2023-24 regular season.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Out through October
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Lehkonen (shoulder) will be re-evaluated at the end of October, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports Monday.
The news officially rules Lehkonen out for at least the first 11 games of the 2024-25 campaign. Given his recovery timeline, the 29-year-old winger is a strong candidate for long-term injured reserve, though he hasn't officially been designated yet. In the meantime, Calum Ritchie appears to have secured himself a spot in the top six playing alongside Casey Mittelstadt.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Still in non-contact jersey
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Lehkonen (shoulder) was skating in a non-contact jersey during Wednesday's practice session, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.
Lehkonen underwent shoulder surgery in May and has been limited for the start of training camp. Coach Jared Bednar said in mid-September that Lehkonen will be ready to return shortly after he's cleared for contact, but it's not yet clear when that will occur. Over 45 regular-season last year, the 29-year-old tallied 16 goals and 34 points, including seven goals and five assists on the power play.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Not likely for preseason games
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Lehkonen (shoulder) is not expected to be a full participant during training camp or preseason games, Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now reports.
Per Ryan Boulding of NHL.com, Lehkonen will be ready to return shortly after he's cleared for contact. The winger is recovering from a shoulder surgery. While he may miss most or all of the preseason slate, he should be good to go for a second-line role once he's ready to play.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Not ready to return
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Lehkonen (shoulder) will not be able to participate fully at the start of training camp, John Matisz of The Score reports Friday.
Lehkonen underwent shoulder surgery in May and while he was skating with his teammates at the end of August, he is still considered iffy for the start of the 2024-25. Lehkonen had 16 goals and 34 points -- including seven goals and five assists on the power play -- in 45 regular-season appearances with the Avalanche in 2023-24.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Participating in informal skates
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Lehkonen (shoulder) took the ice with teammates ahead of training camp, Brennan Vogt of The-Rink.com reports Thursday.
Lehkonen looks poised to return from a shoulder injury that required surgery back in May. It's possible the 29-year-old winger will still miss the first preseason game against the Stars on Sept. 23 given his lengthy layoff, but all signs point to him being ready for Opening Night. In addition to a top-six role, Lehkonen should also feature with the No. 1 power-play unit -- at least until Gabriel Landeskog (knee) is given the all-clear.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Could be ready for camp
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Lehkonen (shoulder) should be ready around the start of training camp, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.
The team will have a better outlook on Lehkonen's timeline in the coming months but for now, it seems to be good news. The 28-year-old tallied 16 goals and 34 points in 45 regular-season games before adding another 11 points in 11 playoff appearances. Assuming he's healthy, Lehkonen will be locked into a top-six role during the 2024-25 season.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Set for shoulder surgery
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Lehkonen is expected to undergo a shoulder procedure according to general manager Chris MacFarland, Brennan Vogt of The-Rink.com reports Thursday.
Lehkonen was red hot during the Avalanche's opening-round series against the Jets, scoring a goal in each of the five games, but he was relatively quiet against Dallas in the second round. In six games versus the Stars, the 28-year-old winger tallied just one goal to go with two assists and 14 shots. At this point, the expectation is that Lehkonen will be ready for the start of training camp in the fall.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Pair of points in Game 5 win
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Lehkonen scored a power-play goal on two shots, added an assist, logged two PIM, doled out three hits and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Stars in Game 5.
This was Lehkonen's first multi-point effort since Game 4 of the first round. He tallied at the end of the first period and then set up a Nathan MacKinnon insurance marker in the third. Lehkonen is up to six goals, five assists, three power-play points, 32 shots on net, 23 hits and a minus-1 rating through 10 playoff contest. Lehkonen played on the top line Wednesday and could have a chance to stick there moving forward since Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) won't return during the postseason.
Lehkonen notched an assist and five shots on goal in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Stars in Game 2.
Lehkonen's seven-game point streak ended in Tuesday's Game 1, but he was right back on the scoresheet Thursday. He helped out on a Valeri Nichushkin tally in the third period. Lehkonen is up to five goals, four assists, 27 shots on net, 12 hits and a plus-3 rating through seven playoff contests. He continues to occupy a second-line role, providing solid depth scoring to relieve some of the pressure on the Avalanche's top forwards.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Pots goal in Game 5
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Lehkonen scored a goal in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Jets in Game 5.
Odd bounces went both ways in this game -- the Jets' first goal caromed in off Lehkonen's body. It balanced out, as Lehkonen's marker was awarded to him when a Jets defenseman put the puck in his own net in the second period. Lehkonen got a goal in every contest in the first round and added three assists, 20 shots on net, seven hits and a plus-5 rating while skating in a top-six role with power-play time.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Puts up two points
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Lehkonen registered a goal and an assist in the 5-1 Game 4 win over the Jets on Sunday.
With the Avalanche peppering Connor Hellebuyck in the first period, Lehkonen was able to open the scoring for his fourth goal of the first round on the 12th shot of the game. Lehkonen added a primary power-play assist late in the second frame to give Colorado a 4-1 lead. He also had one hit, three shots on net, one blocked shot, two PIM and a plus-1 rating in 18:39 of ice time. Including the regular season, Lehkonen is on a six-game point streak, scoring four goals and adding five assists over that span.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Nets goal Friday
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Lehkonen scored a goal on five shots, added two hits and went plus-2 in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.
Lehkonen has scored in three straight games and has three goals and four assists during a five-game point streak. Five of those points, as well as 16 shots on net and six hits, have come over three playoff outings. The 28-year-old winger is making the most of his top-six role and power-play time to put up strong scoring numbers.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Two points in Tuesday's win
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Lehkonen scored a goal on four shots, added an assist, went plus-2 and logged four hits in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Jets in Game 2.
Lehkonen has opened the playoffs with a pair of multi-point efforts. The 28-year-old's tally tied the contest at 2-2 in the second period, and he helped out on Josh Manson's marker just before the end of the frame. Lehkonen remains in a second-line role, but he's proving he can be effective there as a clutch scorer. He had six points over seven outings last postseason, so it's not unusual to see him put up offense in bunches.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Goal, assist in loss
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Lehkonen scored a power-play goal on seven shots and added an assist in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Jets in Game 1.
Lehkonen was bumped back down to the second line for this game, with Zach Parise moving to the top line to fill in for Jonathan Drouin (lower body). The 28-year-old Lehkonen can provide offense from anywhere in the top six -- he had nine points over the last nine games of the regular season to finish 2023-24 with 34 points in 45 appearances. If the Avalanche struggle again in Game 2, it wouldn't be surprising to see Lehkonen ultimately shuffled around again.
