Denver, CO (Best E Casino) - The Colorado Avalanche continue to be bitten by the injury bug, as forward Ryan Smyth missed Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Red Wings clipped the Avalanche, 4-3, to grab a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.

Smyth, who signed a lucrative free-agent contract before the season, suffered a foot injury in Game 2 when he blocked a shot.

Meanwhile, forward Peter Forsberg was back in the lineup for Colorado. Forsberg, bothered by a nagging groin injury, was scratched from the first two games of this series.

Defenseman Scott Hannan also returned for the Avalanche after missing Saturday's 5-1 loss with what the club called a lower-body injury.

The Avs are also going without forward Wojtek Wolski, ruled out for the remainder of the series with an upper-body ailment suffered in Game 1.