Makar has five points (four goals, one assist), 22 shots on goal and 18 blocked shots in nine games this postseason. He is averaging 24:59 per game, second on Colorado to defenseman Devon Toews (25:28).
“You can’t replicate it; he’s the best defenseman in the world,” defenseman Josh Manson said. “You can’t sugarcoat it.”
Defenseman Sam Malinski and forward Artturi Lehkonen, each of whom missed the final two games of the second round, will play.
Malinski knows that some of the workload will fall on him in the absence of Makar. The 27-year-old says he will be ready, as will the other defensemen.
"Yeah, I mean, I don't know if pressure is the right word,” Malinski said Tuesday. “Like, we're all going to have to play a little bit more and we'll be challenged with different situations. Like, I might have to penalty kill or whatever it is. But, yeah, I wouldn't say we feel pressure. We're just going to have to step up."
The Avalanche have dressed eight defensemen during the playoffs, with Ahcan and Nick Blankenburg asked to jump in because of injuries.
That depth is one of the things that has made Colorado such a threat in winning the Presidents’ Trophy and eight of its first nine playoff games against the Los Angeles Kings and the Wild.
“Best defenseman in the world. He’s not going to be easily replaced,” forward Logan O'Connor said of Makar. “There’s not one guy that’s going to be able to do it. I think the advantage we have with the group we have in the game tonight is, a lot of guys can be minute-munchers for us … those guys can play heavy, hard minutes for us, and I think just by committee we know we’re going to have to maybe execute a bit of a different game plan, be that much tighter defensively and just try not to get ahead of ourselves offensively and just be patient within the game.
“Cale presents a dynamic ability that is super unique in the League, and no one’s going to replicate that tonight, but it’s on the (defense) corps as a whole and our group as a whole to try and pick it up when we can.”
