Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon (undisclosed) out vs. Canucks

Colorado Avalanche star forward Nathan MacKinnon will sit out Thursday's game versus the Vancouver Canucks in Denver and likely the team's final two regular season games to boot, head coach Jared Bednar said.

MacKinnon, who is nursing an undisclosed injury, is tied with Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with 116 points.

The reigning Hart Trophy recipient, MacKinnon leads the NHL with 84 assists in 79 games this season.

The Avalanche (48-27-4, 100 points) likely will finish in third place in the Central Division. They will face off against either the Dallas Stars or the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the playoffs.

MacKinnon, 29, played in all 82 games for the Avalanche last season and set career highs across the board with 51 goals, 89 assists and a franchise-record 140 points.

He has 1,015 points (367 goals, 648 assists) in 870 career games since being selected by Colorado with the top overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft.