Report: Lafreniere's injury not as serious as initially feared

Team Canada and the presumptive first overall pick in next June's NHL draft may have dodged a bullet.

The left knee injury Alexis Lafreniere suffered in a loss to Russia at the World Junior Hockey Championship on Saturday isn't as severe as it appeared, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

"Since this has happened ... what we can tell you is that he's had an MRI and it's not as bad as it was initially feared," Johnston said during "Saturday Headlines."

"Now, they're waiting for final word from the medical staff," he continued. "He took that MRI at a hospital in Ostrava in the Czech Republic. Those images were sent back to Calgary to be looked at by (Canadian) doctors and they'll determine just how serious this is, but he's not been ruled out yet of the world junior tournament."

Lafreniere left Canada's 6-0 defeat after twisting his leg in a collision with Russian goaltender Amir Miftakhov in the second period. The Canadian star had to be helped off and couldn't put weight on the leg.

The 18-year-old forward racked up four points and scored the game-winner in Canada's tournament opener against the United States on Thursday.