The Colorado Avalanche will be without two of their biggest stars for an extended stretch. Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters in Montreal that Nathan MacKinnon is out at least one month, while Cale Makar is expected to miss about two weeks. Both players left Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators with lower-body injuries in the second period, roughly a minute apart.

MacKinnon was hit in the hip area by Senators defenceman Artem Zub, who cross-checked him, while Makar appeared to hurt his right leg after stopping to control the puck in the offensive zone. Bednar said Makar's injury is soft tissue-related and that he does not expect it to linger beyond the current recovery timeline. MacKinnon, the 2024 Hart Trophy winner, has 10 goals and 20 assists in 20 games this season, while Makar, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, has five goals and 18 assists in 19 games for Colorado, which stands at 11-6-3.S1S2

To fill the gap, Colorado recalled forward Gavin Brindley from the American Hockey League. Brock Nelson moves up to the top line, Nic Roy centers a line with Gabe Landeskog, and Nazem Kadri centers another. On defence, rookie Alex Gagne will make his NHL debut alongside Brent Burns, who is set to play his 1,600th career regular-season game, and Noah Juulsen is likely to move up alongside Brett Kulak.S1

The timing offers some relief. Colorado has just five games scheduled over the next two weeks, so Makar could miss a relatively small portion of the schedule if he returns as expected. MacKinnon's absence is expected to last considerably longer, and Saturday's game against the Canadiens marks just the seventh time both superstars have been unavailable together since Makar's debut and the first time since March 2021 outside of late-season rest.S1