Makar possible to play vs. Jets after undisclosed injury
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar appears to have avoided a serious injury and could potentially play Thursday against the first-place Winnipeg Jets, head coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.
Makar exited Tuesday's win over the Seattle Kraken during the second period. Bednar didn't have a postgame update but noted the rearguard "tweaked something" in the middle frame.
The 26-year-old seemed to be in discomfort while the Avalanche were on the power play in the second period. He returned to the ice for the start of the third and took a brief shift before going back to the bench and leaving the game altogether.
Makar saw just 29 seconds of ice time in the final 30 minutes of the game, according to Masisak.
Here’s a look at the non-contact injury suffered by Cale Makar. Doesn’t look good #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/q7loAeuEzR
— Drew Livingstone (@ProducerDrew_) November 6, 2024
Makar extended his season-opening point streak to 13 games by chipping in with two assists before departing the contest. He's now up to 23 points on the year.
Nathan MacKinnon stepped up in his teammate's absence, registering five assists to establish a new career high.
MacKinnon is also on a 13-game point streak to start the campaign. He and Makar are the third set of teammates to post such a simultaneous run in league history, joining Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito (15 games in 1973-74) and Dmitri Kvartalnov and Joe Juneau (14 games in 1992-93), per NHL PR.
The Avalanche currently sit sixth in the Central Division with a 6-7-0 record and .462 points percentage. They've been hammered by injuries, with Artturi Lehkonen, Ross Colton, Jonathan Drouin, Miles Wood, and Devon Toews all missing time this season.