Makar, a defenseman, and Helm, their forward, will miss their second straight game when the Colorado Sharks visit San Jose on Thursday (10:30 p.m. EST; NBCSCA, ALT, ESPN+, SN NOW).
Makar recently missed nine games in 10 from February 9 to March 1 due to a concussion, and four games with an upper body injury from January 18 to 24.
Helm, who didn’t play his first season until January 2 due to offseason hip surgery, was limited to 11 games this season (no points) and didn’t play 4 games. -3 in overtime against the Sharks on Tuesday by one game. Less margin. body injury.
Makar, who leads the NHL in average ice time per game (26:23), is third to Colorado with 66 points (17 goals, 49 assists) in 60 games this season. Last season, he won the Norris Trophy for the NHL’s best defenseman and the Conn Smith Trophy for Stanley Cup Most Valuable Player when the Avalanche won the championship.
Colorado is also without forward Gabriel Landskog, who did not play all season due to knee surgery, and arturi to be, who was expected to be sidelined 4–6 weeks after breaking his finger on March 13. cannon Josh Manson He has not played since March 1 due to a lower body injury and injury to a guard. Pavel Francoz He has been out since February 7 with a lower body injury.
Coach Jared Bednar was quoted by the Denver Gazette as saying, “Of all the injuries, I have nothing to report other than the fact that Frankie…is basically a complete pass now. Then we’ll see how he handles the next few days. If all goes well, I expect it to be as soon as possible to return to our team.”
The Avalanche (46-24-6), tied for the Central Division lead with the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars, clinched a playoff berth on Tuesdays starting April 17.
“We face our share of adversity, but healthy and fit players are investing and playing hard as a team,” Bednar said on Tuesday. “I think that’s all you can ask for. We wish the best for ourselves when it comes to some players coming back from injury. But then again, other guys are stepping up and finding ways to get the job done, and that’s all you can ask for.”
