"Avalanche center Paul Stastny practiced this morning but will miss his first game of the season tonight when Colorado plays the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.

Stastny, the team's fourth-leading scorer, suffered a torso injury in the third period of Sunday's 4-2 victory over the visiting Detroit Red Wings. He did not practice with the team Monday.

"We'll see how he progresses, see how he presents tomorrow, or the next day," Avs coach Joe Sacco said. "He's getting better every day, and that's a good sign, compared to where he was the other night during the game.""