Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar in concussion protocol, will miss games this weekend
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar confirmed during a radio appearance with Altitude on Tuesday that defenseman Cale Makar is under concussion protocol and will therefore miss this weekend’s games. -end against the Winnipeg Jets and the Calgary Flames.
The coach says a delayed response in St Louis has brought Cale Makar back into protocol and will not play this coming weekend. https://t.co/YZzdwninxQ
—Marc Moser TV (@RadioMoser) February 21, 2023
Bednar said Makar had a « delayed response » to a blow he took Feb. 18 in a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues; he recorded 21:27 of ice time, four minutes less than his average. Makar was forced off the ice after colliding with Blues forward Alexei Toropchenko early in the period. He briefly left but would return to the ice. Makar had just returned to the lineup after suffering a concussion earlier in the month against the Pittsburgh Penguins when Jeff Carter elbowed him in the head. He missed four games as a result.
Makar and Coach Bednar spoke out On the severity of the blow after Saturday’s game against the Blues, « Makar’s stick got tangled up high and it made his nose bleed, » Bednar said. “He left and was examined very quickly. Checked the nose and then it was back. So no real problems stemming from that, which is good.
The Calgary Alberta product has 45 points (13 goals, 32 assists) in 46 appearances this season; he is among the favorites to win the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman for a second consecutive season. Last season, Makar notched a career-high 86 points (28 goals, 58 assists) in 77 games and 29 added points in 20 games to win the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Stanley Cup.
The Avalanche currently sit third in the Central Division with 67 points and a 31-195 record, .609 point percentage. The Avs are four points behind the No. 2 Winnipeg Jets and five points behind the No. 1 Dallas Stars. The defending Stanley Cup champions have suffered an appalling amount of injuries this season
