Avalanche’s Cale Makar out for Game 1 against Golden Knights
The Colorado Avalanche will be without star defenseman Cale Makar for Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters on Wednesday morning that the superstar right-shot blue liner is out on a day-to-day basis.
Makar has been visibly laboring through an injury in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which have seen he and the Avalanche do away with the Los Angeles Kings in a four-game sweep before handling the Minnesota Wild in five games.
The Calgary native has still played in all nine games this postseason, skating at least 23:17 in eight of the nine contests. The lone exception to that was Game 1 against Minnesota, when he recorded two goals and an assist but did miss a portion of the game after taking a hard hit, limiting him to just 17:11 that night.
The Norris Trophy finalist has four goals and one assist for five points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which follows a regular season that saw him produce 79 points in 75 games.
In Makar’s absence, the Avs will lean heavily upon Sam Malinski, a dynamic defenseman who brings a similar skill set to Makar, albeit at a far less dominant level overall. Veteran Brent Burns could also see an increase in responsibilities as another right-handed option in Bednar’s lineup.
Colorado, as a Presidents’ Trophy-winning team that hardly broke a sweat through the first two rounds, is the prohibitive favorite in the series against a Golden Knights team that struggled consistently against quality competition throughout the regular season before sharpening their form to defeat the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in their opening series.
The Knights, however, will have a big advantage on Wednesday facing an Avalanche team without its top defenseman, one who is a truly elite offensive creator. Vegas has played smothering defense throughout its playoff run, but the Avs will still present a challenge even without Makar.
Game 1 is set for an 8:00 PM EST puck drop at Ball Arena in Denver.