Makar Out for Game 1, and the Avalanche Feel the Heat

Colorado is heading into the Western Conference finals without Cale Makar to open the series, and that changes the temperature immediately. A defender with that kind of reach does not have a simple replacement, no matter how many upbeat quotes a team can string together at the podium. The Avalanche have to protect the gaps, manage the puck, and keep their structure from fraying under pressure. That is a tall order when the other bench knows exactly where the weak spot is.