Cale Makar out for Game 1

Cale Makar was out of Colorado’s lineup for Game 1 of the Western Conference final on Wednesday, leaving the Avalanche without their top defenseman for the series opener against the Vegas Golden Knights. NHL.com reported Makar did not play because of an undisclosed injury, and coach Jared Bednar said the 27-year-old is day to day. The absence came at the start of a best-of-seven series between two recent Stanley Cup champions. NHL.com’s schedule page listed Game 1 for Wednesday, May 20, at Ball Arena in Denver, with U.S. television coverage on ESPN. ### What exactly did Colorado say about Makar? Jared Bednar said Wednesday that Makar would not play in the opener and described him as day to day, according to NHL.com and other reports. (nhl.com) NHL.com said Makar was on the ice before Colorado’s morning skate, but was ruled out for that night’s game against Vegas. (nhl.com) NHL.com identified the injury only as undisclosed. Yahoo Sports, citing Bednar, also reported that Makar is considered day to day. ### Who took Makar’s place in the lineup? Jack Ahcan replaced Makar in Colorado’s lineup for Game 1, NHL.com reported. The change altered the Avalanche blue line for the opening game of a series that pits the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche against the Pacific Division-winning Golden Knights. (nhl.com) NHL.com’s Game 1 preview listed Makar among the notable absences and said Colorado was also welcoming back Ross Colton. (sports.yahoo.com) That left the Avalanche adjusting both to a missing top-pair defenseman and to a reworked lineup at the start of the conference final. ### Why is Makar’s absence such a significant development? (nhl.com) Cale Makar is one of Colorado’s central players and a former Norris Trophy winner, and his absence immediately became the main personnel story around Game 1. USA Today described him as the Avalanche’s star defenseman in reporting on the injury update before the opener. (nhl.com) The matchup itself added to the attention. Vegas and Colorado entered the Western Conference final as two of the NHL’s best teams this season, with NHL.com and other previews framing the series as a heavyweight meeting between clubs with recent championship pedigrees. ### What happened in Game 1 without him? Vegas won Game 1 in Denver after Colorado played without Makar. (usatoday.com) USA Today’s live game report and the Denver Post both described the opener as a loss for the Avalanche and noted that the Golden Knights took home-ice advantage in the series. (nhl.com) The Denver Post reported that Colorado’s offense lacked sharpness without Makar, while attributing that assessment to the team’s play in the opener rather than to any formal team statement. ### What comes next in the series? Game 2 is scheduled for Friday in Denver before the series shifts to Las Vegas, according to NHL.com’s conference-finals schedule. (usatoday.com) The same schedule page lists the full dates, start times and television information for the Western Conference final between Colorado and Vegas. (nhl.com) (denverpost.com)