Avs' Bednar: Makar in concussion protocol
Published
When the Colorado Avalanche return to action on Friday, it will be without Cale Makar.
Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed on his weekly Altitude radio show that the star defenceman is in concussion protocol and will be unavailable against the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Makar, 24, was injured early in the third period of Saturday's 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. As Makar pinched to keep a puck in the Blues' zone, he collided with Blues forward Alexei Toropchenko. While the Calgary native left for the dressing room after the hit, he later returned to the game.
It was Makar's first game back after missing four games with a head injury following a hit from Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jeff Carter.
After the game, both Makar and Bednar played down the severity of the hit.
"[Makar]'s stick got tangled up high and it gave him a bloody nose," Bednar said on Saturday night. "He went off and just got looked at real quick. Checked out the nose and then he was back. So no real problems coming out of that, which is good."
Makar did not dress in Sunday's game against the Edmonton Oilers.
The 2022 Norris Trophy winner, Makar has appeared in 46 games this season and leads the league in ice time at 26:57. The fourth overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Makar has 13 goals and 32 assists this season, his fourth in the NHL.