Cale Makar will miss Game 1 of the Western Conference Final after being ruled out with a day-to-day injury following a collision in Game 5 against Minnesota. Jack Ahcan is set to replace him for Colorado on Tuesday night.
For Colorado, the warm-up skate on Tuesday morning carried the kind of silence that only an injury update can bring. By the time the Avalanche were ready to finalize their lineup. the message to Avalanche fans was clear: star defenseman Cale Makar will not play in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The decision landed after Makar missed practice on Tuesday following an injury he suffered in Game 5 of Colorado’s series against the Minnesota Wild. A final call on his status has now been made, and the outlook is both immediate and uncertain. Makar is ruled out for Game 1, with the Avalanche listing him as day-to-day. The process still included movement—Makar skated this morning—but it was not enough to get him into the opener.
Colorado’s lineup will shift accordingly. Jack Ahcan is in for Makar. Artturi Lehkonen, meanwhile, is good to go, and Colorado will move forward without its Norris Trophy finalist at the start of what Nathan MacKinnon is projecting as a long series.
Makar’s absence matters beyond the headline. He left the ice following a collision in Game 5 against the Wild, then watched Colorado push through in dramatic fashion. The Avalanche went on to win the series after an overtime 4-3 victory in Game 5. turning what could have been a crushing moment into a celebration—one that still comes with a cost now. in the form of their top defenseman.
So far in the playoffs, Makar has four goals and an assist. He’s also one of Colorado’s leaders in ice time. meaning his missing minutes won’t be easy to replace with a simple like-for-like substitution. Even his special-teams role carries weight: he is a major part of the power play. which is tied for fifth in the playoffs in conversion rate. That unit has scored on 25 percent of its man-advantage chances.
Vegas brings its own counterbalance. The Golden Knights are described as having a solid penalty kill, finishing seventh in the NHL in the regular season. If Colorado’s power play takes a step backward without Makar. it could swing the opening stretch of the series—especially with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday night.
Ahcan’s involvement underlines how quickly roles can change when the calendar moves faster than injuries. He has played in just two games so far in the playoffs. both in the series against the Wild—Game 4 and Game 5. In those appearances, he logged 10:42 of ice time and posted a minus-2 plus/minus rating.
In the end, the situation for Makar isn’t a full stop—it’s a pause. The Avalanche have him listed as day-to-day, and Makar is likely to return during the series. But for now. Game 1 is Vegas’ first chance to test how Colorado adapts when one of its most influential players isn’t on the ice. Puck drop is set for 8 pm ET on Tuesday night.
Cale Makar Jack Ahcan Colorado Avalanche Vegas Golden Knights Western Conference Final Game 1 NHL playoffs injury update Artturi Lehkonen power play