DENVER -- Cale Makar broke in a new pair of skates Wednesday at an optional practice.
Next up, breaking out of a scoring slump.
Nothing has come easy for the standout Colorado Avalanche defenseman against the tenacious play of the Dallas Stars. Makar has been held to no goals and two assists in a first-round series the Avalanche trail 3-2. Dallas can close out the series tonight in Game 6 at Ball Arena. The Stars were in the same spot a year ago and ended Colorado's season in double overtime.
"I'm not worried about him," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of Makar. "I think he's going to bounce back with a huge game for us tomorrow."
Makar sets the bar high when it comes to scoring expectations. He entered the first-round series averaging 1.11 points per playoff game, which was the second-highest mark among blue liners in Stanley Cup history. Only Hall of Fame defenseman Bobby Orr had a higher average (1.24).
The 26-year-old Makar is coming off a regular season in which he had 30 goals and 62 assists. He's just the ninth different defenseman in NHL history to score at least 30 goals.
In recent days, the honors have poured in for Makar. He's a finalist for the Norris Trophy, an award given to the blue liner who's voted the best at his position.
On Wednesday, Makar, along with teammate Nathan MacKinnon and Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov, were announced as finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award. It's an award given to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the NHL Players' Association.
He appreciates the recognition. But he's focused on Game 6.
"Honestly, I've got to be a lot better," Makar said. "There have been glimpses where I've been pretty good. … There's a lot of things I can do a lot better. It's do-or-die now, so we've got to step it up."
Wednesday's games:
CAPITALS 4, CANADIENS 1: Alex Ovechkin scored, Logan Thompson made 28 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 of their first-round series to advance in the NHL playoffs. It's the Capitals' first series win since capturing the Stanley Cup in 2018. They face the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.
PANTHERS 6, LIGHTNING 3: Florida advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs after a victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Eetu Luostarinen had a goal and three assists. Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett all scored for the Panthers as Florida defeated their in-state rival in five games for the second consecutive season.