Avs' Sakic sidelined 2-to-4 weeks with broken foot

DENVER -- Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic will be out two-to-four weeks because of a broken right foot.

Sakic was injured in the second period of Monday night's 1-1 tie against Dallas when he was hit by a shot from Sergei Zubov. Sakic returned to the ice and finished the game, notching an assist for the seventh straight game.

"Usually when you get hit in the foot, you feel it for bit and it goes away. This one didn't go away, it was aching," Sakic said Wednesday. "I never took the skate off. As soon as I took the skate off, it really swelled up. "

At the time, coach Tony Granato said he hoped the injury was no worse than a bruise. On Tuesday, Sakic left the Avalanche practice facility carrying crutches, although he wasn't using them.

Colorado is 17-14-10-5 and 12 points behind Vancouver in the Northwest Division, but Granato said he won't rush Sakic back.

"We're at a critical point of our season, but the most important thing is he gets healed up, gets back to 100 percent and comes back rested and ready for the stretch run," Granato said.

The injury is Sakic's second in a month.

He missed nine games after spraining his right ankle against Edmonton on Dec. 13 and had played just eight games before the latest injury. Colorado was 6-1-1-1 without Sakic.

"It's frustrating. You get injured, come back, play eight games and get injured again," said Sakic, who has 19 goals and 22 assists in 37 games. "The stretch run is after February until the end of March, and by then it should be 100 percent."