Cale Makar was ruled out after the morning skate and the Colorado Avalanche lost 4-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final on Wednesday.
The absence of Makar — who suffered an undisclosed injury on May 13 in the fifth and deciding game of the second-round series against the Minnesota Wild and had not practiced since — left a visible hole in Colorado’s defensive structure. The Avalanche were 8-1 this postseason with Makar in the lineup; Wednesday’s defeat made them 0-1 without him. Makar had averaged 24:59 across his first nine playoff games and had missed seven regular-season contests; he is also one of three finalists for the Norris Trophy.
Coach Jared Bednar had sounded optimistic as late as Tuesday about Makar’s availability, but the decision to scratch him came after the morning skate. Bednar acknowledged the obvious gap left by the defenseman, noting that Makar plays heavy minutes and skates often with the Nathan MacKinnon line, creating a trickle-down effect when he’s absent.
The Avalanche redistributed Makar’s workload across their back end. Devon Toews logged 27:32, Brett Kulak 23:06 and Jack Ahcan — the player who replaced Makar in the lineup — skated just 7:34. Sam Malinski returned after a two-game absence and played 20:31. Goaltender Scott Wedgewood praised the defense corps that stepped in, saying he was proud of the group that took on more minutes and that the team has a next-man-up mentality, while also admitting there were a couple of plays he’d like back.
The game tightened into the second period, and a tripping penalty on Ben Hutton at 19:24 of the middle frame handed Vegas a late chance to strike before intermission. The eventual game-winner came early in the third period following a power-play sequence, the finishing touch on a night when Colorado struggled in areas the coaching staff points to as Makar’s strengths.
Statistically, the contrast was stark: Colorado’s dominant run with Makar — eight wins in nine games — met a blunt counter on Wednesday. The Avalanche had to cover nearly 25 minutes per game from a defenseman who had been consistently available through the early rounds; without him, Toews in particular absorbed a heavy load and the bench saw shifts that would not have occurred had Makar been cleared to play.
There is friction between expectation and outcome in the immediate aftermath. Bednar had framed Makar as an important, heavy-minute player whose absence changes matchups and responsibilities across four lines. Rather than a slow decline, Colorado was forced into an abrupt reallocation of responsibilities that left less margin for error; the timing of the ruling — after a last positive note from the coach — intensified the sense of a sudden tactical deficit.
The human element was plain on the ice and in the locker room. Players who normally play a supporting role were asked to step up; the replacement defenseman logged limited minutes, and others carried extended ice time. Wedgewood’s assessment framed both pride in those who answered the call and rue for missed plays that might have altered the scoreline.
The most consequential unanswered question now hangs over the series: can Colorado recreate the balance it showed when Makar averaged nearly 25 minutes a night and keep pace with Vegas without him? How the Avalanche manage special teams, minutes distribution and matchups in the immediate games ahead will determine whether Wednesday’s loss is an outlier or the opening chapter of a deeper problem for the club.
