Colorado Avalanche top goalie Craig Anderson is out indefinitely after injuring his knee Tuesday night during pregame warmups.
Backup goalie Peter Budaj started the game at Vancouver as scheduled, but Anderson wasn't on the Avalanche bench when the game began.
A team official said after the second period that Anderson would fly back to Denver on Wednesday to be evaluated by doctors instead of going with the club to Calgary for a game on Thursday.
Anderson, who gave up six goals on 30 shots in his previous outing, hurt himself during the final warmup drill - a tight scramble that is reserved for the backup goalie, with teammates firing away from close range. He got up in obvious discomfort after sprawling on the ice and skated gingerly before receiving help at the bench.
The 29-year-old Anderson is 3-4 with a .907 save percentage and 3.15 goals-against average this season. He backstopped Colorado's surprise run to the playoffs last season, after setting franchise records for games (71), minutes (2.233) and saves (2,047) while going 38-25-7 in his first season with the Avalanche.
Budaj made just his second start of the season. He won his debut on Oct. 12 against Detroit despite giving up four goals on 28 shots.
