Already down 2-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals, the question of the day for the Colorado Avalanche heading into Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights is whether star defenseman Cale Makar be on the ice Sunday night in Las Vegas.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar, accused by some of throwing his two-time Norris Trophy winner under the bus after a 3-1 home loss in Game 2, still couldn’t give a straight answer to that question after his team’s practice on Saturday morning.
When asked if Makar, hampered by an upper-body injury sustained in the team’s second-round series against Minnesota, had been cleared by the team’s medical staff to play, Bednar once again responded it would be Makar’s decision whether to play or not.
“He’s dealing with an injury, obviously, and he’s been in the gym strengthening and testing it on the ice,” Bednar said. “Cale is the only person that knows when he’s good enough to play. That’s why it’s his decision.
“We know what the injury is. We know what he’s dealing with. We know that we’re going to expect him back at some point, but you’ve got to get to a level of being comfortable with what you’re dealing with and the pain tolerance. And depending on what you’re dealing with, he will tell us when he’s ready to play. So it’s really as simple as that.”
Avalanche fans got their hopes up for his return for Friday’s game when Makar was filmed taking part in the morning skate, including some shifts with the team’s top power-play unit. But Makar, who had 79 points (20 goals, 59 assists) in 75 regular-season games, missed his second straight contest.
Colorado definitely could have used their shifty quarterback of its power-play unit. The Avalanche failed to garner even one shot on goal in two power-play chances.
The Presidents’ Trophy winners with a league-best 121 points still led 1-0 entering the third period thanks to a Ross Colton goal. But Colorado, which was 45-0-0 when leading after two periods during the regular season and playoffs, gave up three goals in the final period, including a pair by Ivan Barbashev.
Bednar held what he called a pointed team meeting before leaving for Las Vegas on Saturday that he said “wasn’t tactical.” He hinted that he thought that Vegas, which finished with a 32-28 edge in hits, was simply outcompeting his team in the trenches.
“I think we’ve got another level to go to in the competitive spirit,” Bednar said. “I think we lost Game 2 on the margins of the physicality at times. The competitiveness at the point of the puck, I think is the difference in the hockey game.”
Lower-seeded teams that have won the first two games in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series on the road have gone on to win 91 of 113 series (80.5%). So it would seem the Golden Knights are in the driver’s seat to reach their third Stanley Cup Final in nine seasons.
However, Vegas was in a similar situation in 2024 when it won the first two games at Dallas in its first-round series only to lose the next three in a row, as well as Game 7.
“It’s good to have that experience,” center William Karlsson said. “Obviously, that was a huge letdown after coming home with two wins on the road, so definitely learn from that.”
“It’s far from over, and we know that,” defenseman Noah Hanifin added. “It’s a long series. They’re a great team over there, and we’ve got to stay even-keeled. … Game 3 is going to be huge.”
Vegas captain Mark Stone, who has missed the last six games with a lower-body injury, took part in the team’s optional skate on Saturday.
