Lafreniere ruled out vs. Germany, could return during world juniors

Team Canada will not have star winger Alexis Lafreniere for its World Junior Championship contest against Germany on Monday.

Lafreniere suffered a left knee injury in the second period of Canada's 6-0 loss to Russia on Saturday and had to be assisted off the ice. Despite being ruled out for Monday's game, he could still return during the tournament, assistant coach Andre Tourigny said, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.

Tourigny also confirmed that the MRI on Lafreniere's knee did not reveal any fractures or torn ligaments. The projected No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft wore a brace on his knee while watching practice on Sunday.

Lafreniere posted one goal and three assists in Canada's tournament-opening victory against the United States.

All five nations in Group B are deadlocked through two contests for the first time since the group format was introduced at the world juniors in 1996. Canada, however, sits last due to goal differential ahead of its crucial matchup with Germany.