Avalanche Waiting on Cale Makar After Practice Miss

The Avalanche have set off the usual panic meter by announcing Cale Makar news after he missed practice before Game 3. In playoff hockey, a missing skate can mean anything from maintenance to a legit concern, and everyone in the building knows how fast the story can spin. Colorado is not exactly built to shrug off a Makar-sized absence, so this one has real teeth. The next update will tell us whether this is a bump in the road or the kind of wrinkle that changes a series.