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Former Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon and two-time Norris Trophy recipient Cale Makar are dealing with significant lower-body injuries for the Colorado Avalanche.
Per head coach Jared Bednar, MacKinnon will be sidelined one month and Makar two weeks due to their respective injuries. The players were injured during the second period of the Avalanche’s 4-3 overtime loss to the host Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
“When I think about those two guys, it’s like every matchup, they take it on, now someone else has to be able to step up and do that,” Bednar said Saturday. “And then you are losing the depth down the lineup as you kind of do that because everyone is elevated.”
Forward Artturi Lehkonen said that the Avalanche have a big challenge ahead, starting with the team’s game against the host Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
“Missing two of the best players in the world, you can’t really replace that,” Lehkonen said. “… They are a huge part of our offense. Got to find different ways to create offense and score goals today for sure.”
MacKinnon exited with 8:15 left in the second. He attempted a reverse hit on the Senators’ Artem Zub, then grabbed at his right side and remained on the bench before going to the locker room.
One of the game’s best offensive defensemen, Makar took a four-second shift in the middle of the second period before heading down the tunnel. He returned later in the period for a 23-second shift, then spent the rest of that frame on the bench.
MacKinnon, 31, was selected No. 1 overall by Colorado in the 2013 draft. He ranks fifth in the league with 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) through 20 games. Over 14 seasons spanning 970 games, he has amassed 1,172 points (430 goals, 742 assists). MacKinnon won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in 2013-14.
Makar, 28, was selected No. 4 overall by the Avalanche in the 2017 draft, and he was the Calder winner in 2019-20. He ranks third among NHL defensemen with 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) in 19 games. He has compiled 530 points (141 goals, 389 assists) over eight seasons (489 games).
–Field Level Media
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