The Colorado Avalanche finally got the kind of update every playoff team spends May desperately hoping to hear: relief instead of bad news.
Head Coach Jared Bednar struck an optimistic tone Sunday afternoon, saying he expects all of Colorado’s banged-up regulars to be available for Game 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday to open the Western Conference Final.
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Defenseman Sam Malinski and winger Artturi Lehkonen both missed Games 4 and 5 against Minnesota, while superstar defenseman Cale Makar appeared visibly battered during the series-clinching Game 5 victory. Makar briefly left the game before gutting through the remainder of regulation and overtime, continuing to battle both hip and shoulder injuries.
Makar has not practiced over the last couple of days, though Bednar’s confidence Sunday suggested the organization believes its franchise cornerstone is trending in the right direction.
Veteran defenseman Brent Burns has also been absent recently, but indications are pointing toward a return sooner rather than later. Malinski was the lone injured regular spotted practicing Sunday, while Makar, Lehkonen and Burns remained off the ice.
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At this stage of the postseason, nobody is healthy — only available.
The Avalanche still need eight more wins to lift the Stanley Cup, and surviving this time of year often comes down to which teams can endure the physical damage piling up beneath the surface. Colorado at least appears to be getting critical reinforcements at the perfect time after expending enormous emotional and physical energy clawing past Minnesota in one of the wildest series of the playoffs.
Now the focus shifts entirely to Vegas.
Colorado is off Monday before likely returning to practice Tuesday, when the statuses of Makar, Lehkonen, Burns and Malinski should come into even sharper focus ahead of Game 1.
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