Report: Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon has broken nose after brutal hit

ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported early Thursday evening that, as expected, MacKinnon has been diagnosed with a broken nose. The 26-year-old is still being evaluated by team doctors to determine how long he'll be out of action. 

The upcoming All-Star Game is scheduled for Feb. 5. 

As Rick Sadowski noted for the NHL's website, Hall initially received a five-minute major but later had that punishment reduced to a minor after video replays showed MacKinnon was struck by his own stick. 

Per ESPN stats, MacKinnon is third on the team with 43 points and second with 34 assists. 

"It's unfortunate the way it happened," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog told reporters following the contest. "I feel a little responsible for giving him a soft play up the middle, but stuff happens and it happens quick. Unfortunately, Nate's hurt now and we don't know for how long, just hope he's OK."

The Avalanche improved to 30-8-3 via the win and currently sit atop the Central Division standings with a six-point lead over the second-place Nashville Predators. Colorado next plays at the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night, and MacKinnon's status for that contest is obviously up in the air, at best.