Avalanche Coach Addresses Cale Makar's Injury Status After Game 2 Loss
The Colorado Avalanche entered the 2026 Western Conference Finals as the best team in the West, but through two games, they've been completely outplayed, with the Vegas Golden Knights taking a 2-0 series lead on the road.
On Friday, the Golden Knights were at their best again, knocking off Colorado 3-1 to allow them to head home for Games 3 and 4 to potentially book their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final. While it's not the only reason for their back-to-back defeats, the Avalanche have been without their star defenseman Cale Makar for the first two games, and right now, it's unclear when he'll be back.
Without Makar, the Avalanche just haven't been able to find their offense, as they have just three goals through the first two games of the series, with head coach Jared Bednar addressing Makar's status ahead of Game 3 on the road. Unfortunately for Avalanche fans, Bednar's update wasn't a positive one, as he revealed that Makar's potential return is all up to him, stating that he isn't going to make the decision for No. 8.
"It's gonna be Cale's decision on if he's coming back. He's doing all the work. I don't make that decision for him."
"There's urgency to get him back since he's gotten hurt. It's gonna be Cale's decision on when he's coming back. He's doing all the work he can possibly do to try to get back as fast as he can."
— DNVR Avalanche (@DNVR_Avalanche) May 23, 2026
Coach Jared Bednar
Full postgame presser pic.twitter.com/tA4hMIkOSf
On the surface, this doesn't seem to be a good way to handle this from Bednar, as some have taken to social media to state that Makar may not like this comment, as it shows that Bedar is putting all of the responsibility on Makar for missing the first two games of the series. Still, we don't know much more about his status coming out of this press conference then we did going in, and with Game 3 set for Sunday in Vegas in what is likely a must-win game for the Avalanche, the team and fans will be desperate to see No. 8 officially back in the lineup.
Related: Avalanche Announce Cale Makar Status for Game 2 vs. Golden Knights
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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 12:35 PM.