Cale Makar returned to the ice for avalanche du colorado on Sunday in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. He had missed the first two games in Denver with an upper-body injury after Game 5 of the conference semifinals against the Minnesota Wild.
Jared Bednar and Makar
Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar had kept his answer brief earlier Sunday when asked about Makar’s status: “You’ll have to wait and see.” Makar’s return gave the Avalanche back their top defenseman after Vegas had taken the first two games of the series.
Vegas Golden Knights
Makar entered the game with four goals, five points, 22 shots on goal and 18 blocked shots in nine games this postseason. The two-time Norris Trophy winner’s presence gave Colorado a player who has been central to its playoff run, and it came against a Vegas team that had already built a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Final.
Vegas also got Mark Stone back on Sunday. The Golden Knights captain returned to the lineup after missing the last five games, and Stone had left Game 3 of Vegas’ conference semifinal series with the Anaheim Ducks with a lower-body injury.
For Colorado, the immediate effect was simple: Makar was available in a game the Avalanche had to play without him for the series’ first two nights. For Vegas, Stone’s return restored another key skater at the same time the Golden Knights were trying to protect a two-game lead.
