Makar enjoys three-point game against Flames in return to Avalanche lineup

Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar, left, takes a hit from Calgary Flames' Adam Klapka during second period NHL hockey action in Calgary, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal

CALGARY — Cale Makar made an immediate impact Tuesday night in his return after a seven-game absence.

Playing his hometown team, the reigning Norris Trophy winner assisted on all three goals as the Colorado Avalanche made it eight consecutive road wins with a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames.

“Good to have him back,” said Nathan MacKinnon, who put the game on ice with his league-leading 53rd goal into an empty net. “Obviously, he’s the best defenceman in the world. He pushes the pace. He was great tonight. Made some really good plays.”

Makar, returning from an upper-body injury, was not available to speak post-game as he was receiving medical treatment. However, coaches from both teams had plenty to say, starting with Avs’ assistant coach Nolan Pratt, who as a former NHL defencemen who logged nearly 600 career games, can appreciate what Makar injects into a lineup.

“Dynamic player that can create something out of nothing,” said Pratt, who shared head coaching duties with Dave Hakstol as Jared Bednar, back in Denver, continues his recovery from facial fractures and a corneal abrasion sustained when he got hit in the face by a puck on Saturday against Vegas.

“We see (Makar) do it all the time, and we’re lucky to get to watch it and be a part of it as coaches,” said Pratt. “He can see things that other people can’t and if you give him a little bit of space, he can hurt you.”

An example of the latter was the tying goal in the second period. Makar had the puck in the corner and waiting until the timing was perfect, he threaded a pass through the slot to Artturi Lehkonen breaking in off the board, who one-timed a shot past Flames’ netminder Dustin Wolf.

While it’s Makar’s offence that makes the highlight reels, his overall game is why he’s the reigning Norris Trophy winner for best defenceman.

“Everyone thinks of the offensive side of the game for him, but he does so much for us with our penalty kill and five-on-five play, and playing against top lines every game,” said Pratt. “He’s one of the best players in the world, obviously, and we welcome him back any time.”

Not so thrilled to see him back was Flames coach Ryan Huska, knowing how difficult he is to contain.

“He’s a challenge to coach against,” admitted Huska. “The way he sees the game, for one, but also the way that he handles the puck, and he’s able to use his deception to his advantage.

“Right from breakouts in his own zone, he’s basically full speed after a little deception to get away from a forecheck and he’s elite on the offensive blue line with how he moves across the line. The other thing that he does really well is everything is very firm. His passes are firm, that wrist shot that he takes is harder than most people’s slap shots, which makes him a very dangerous player.”

Winners of the Presidents’ Trophy, the Avs don’t know their first-round opponent yet, but regardless, they look forward to getting the playoffs underway this weekend — although they’ll be glad to have a few days of rest first. Finishing the season with 27 games in 51 days since the Olympic break, Colorado joined Tampa Bay and San Jose as the three busiest teams.

Brock Nelson and Devon Toews were given the night off against Calgary. When the Avs host the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, in their season finale, expect a few more of the club’s key players to get the night off.

“Honestly, just looking forward to the regular season being over,” said MacKinnon. “It feels like it’s been a long time these last few weeks. We clinched first last week against Calgary, had a few games since then, but a lot of us will take off the last game and get ready for the real fun.”

The Avs will be looking to carry their dominant regular season into the post-season where things haven’t gone well lately.

Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2022, Colorado lost in the first round twice and sandwiched between those two early upsets was a second-round exit in 2024.

MacKinnon hopes their dominant franchise-best 29-7-5 road record this season will bode well. Four years ago when they won it all, they were 9-1 on the road in the post-season.

They’ll be entering the playoffs with eight straight road wins and a 14-1-0 record in their last 15 games away from Ball Arena.

“You’ve got to be really good road team to have success,” said MacKinnon.

The winning goal Tuesday came from captain Gabriel Landeskog with less than five minutes remaining.

MacKenzie Blackwood made 30 saves to get the win.


This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2026.

Darren Haynes, The Canadian Press