Makar Returns, MacKinnon Dodges A Scare, Avs Still Stumble

Colorado got Cale Makar back and still had to hold its breath when Nathan MacKinnon took a scare, which is never how a contender wants the night to go. The Avs had enough star power on hand to keep the game from going sideways, but the margins in this stretch are brutal and every wobble gets magnified. When you are chasing a deep run, surviving the injury drama and still dropping Game 3 is the kind of mixed signal that keeps coaches up late.