Wild Avalanche Hockey

Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov, left, gets called for a high stick penalty as Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar reacts in the third period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Denver.

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Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar misses 4-2 loss to Vegas in opener of Western Conference Final

Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar misses 4-2 loss to Vegas in opener of Western Conference Final

At times, especially early, the Colorado Avalanche looked disjointed on defense. One player’s absence made that big of difference. With star defenseman Cale Makar sidelined by an upper-body injury, the Avalanche hardly resembled the top-seeded team that rolled through the first two rounds. They experimented with different line combinations in a 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final. Colorado relied heavily on Devon Toews, who logged 27 minutes, 32 seconds. The status of Makar remains unknown for Game 2 on Friday night in Denver.