Cale Makar will not play for the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at Ball Arena on Wednesday. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN, SN, TVAS and CBC.
The defenseman is day to day, according to Avalanche coach Jared Bednar.
Makar was on the ice Wednesday prior to Colorado’s morning skate.
Ahcan to Replace Makar
Jack Ahcan will replace Makar for Game 1.
Makar hasn’t practiced much during these playoffs, but this will be the first time he won’t play this postseason. He has five points, four goals and one assist. He also has 22 shots on goal and 18 blocked shots in nine games. He is averaging 24:59 of ice time, second on the team behind defenseman Devon Toews.
Colorado defenseman Josh Manson said that Makar is a huge piece of the team. He added that you can’t replace a guy like that, and that the team needs guys to step up and fill roles.
Other Avalanche Injury Updates
Defenseman Sam Malinski and forward Artturi Lehkonen each missed the final two games of the five-game victory against the Minnesota Wild due to an upper-body injury. They practiced and Bednar said they will be ready to play.
The Avalanche have dressed eight defensemen in the playoffs, with Ahcan and Nick Blankenburg asked to jump in due to injuries to Manson and Malinski.
Toews pointed to the second round, when Manson missed the first three games with an upper-body injury in addition to Malinski’s absence later in the series, which ended on May 13.
“When we won (last round) we went 7-8 deep,” Toews said. “Sammy was hurt and we had guys step in. That is what we need, is guys to step in. Jack and ‘Blanks’ did that and did a really good job of it.
“Hopefully we get Sammy back in the lineup. He’s such a good part of our offense, creating offense from the back end with his puck moving and his skating ability.”
Golden Knights Present a Challenge
The Golden Knights are the Pacific Division champions. They are a far different challenge than either of the Avalanche’s first two opponents, especially the Wild. The Wild did not have top defenseman Jonas Brodin or two-way forward Joel Eriksson Ek against Colorado due to injuries.
Malinski has been a key part of the defenseman group this season. He has three points and is plus-7 in these playoffs. In the regular season, he had 40 points and was plus-43.
That depth is one of the things that has made the Avalanche such a threat. They won the Presidents’ Trophy for having the NHL’s best regular-season record. They also won eight of their first nine playoff games against the Los Angeles Kings and the Wild.