Jared Bednar isn't tipping his hand on Cale Makar. The Colorado Avalanche head coach won't confirm whether his Norris winner suits up for Game 3 in Vegas Sunday night.
"We'll have to wait and see," Bednar told reporters this afternoon, per Mark Lazerus. He also refused to name a starting goalie. Cryptic, by design.
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The Avs are in trouble. Down 0-2 in the series after dropping both home games to the Golden Knights, 4-2 and 3-1. The road just got steeper.
Makar is listed day-to-day with an undisclosed issue. He's played 9 playoff games out of a possible 11, which tells you all you need to know about his availability the last two nights.
The numbers behind him scream what's missing. Makar carried a 20-goal, 79-point regular season into the playoffs, plus a +32 rating and 25 power play assists. Without him, the Avs blue line is a coupe missing two wheels.
Nathan MacKinnon has been a one-man wrecking crew through 11 playoff games. 7 goals, 14 points, plus-5. But Saturday's 1-3 loss at home showed the ceiling when the supporting cast goes quiet.
The Avs lit up Minnesota for 9 goals in a single playoff game earlier this spring. That offense doesn't hum the same way when the puck-mover on the back end is in street clothes.
Bednar's goalie mystery deepens the Game 3 puzzle
Mackenzie Blackwood owns a .903 save percentage on the season and just a .872 in 3 playoff appearances. Not great. Scott Wedgewood sits at .912 through 10 playoff games with a regular-season .921 behind him.
That's a real choice. And Bednar isn't sharing it 24 hours before puck drop. The bench boss has every right to play this close to the vest with the season hanging by a thread.
Drew Livingstone of The Athletic floated the obvious question this morning. Can MacKinnon and friends steal one in Vegas without their best defender?
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The Avs went 29-7-5 on the road in the regular season. They know how to win in hostile buildings. Doing it down a star, down two games, with a goalie controversy brewing, is another matter entirely.
Devon Toews has tried to absorb the workload, posting 9 points across 11 playoff games. Josh Manson has been steady but quiet offensively. Neither can replace what Makar brings on entries and the power play.
A 121-point juggernaut, the league's top regular-season team, now staring at a 0-3 hole if Sunday goes wrong. The Avalanche either find another gear in Vegas or start booking tee times.
Should Jared Bednar start Mackenzie Blackwood in Game 3?
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