Cale Makar Endured During a ‘Weird’ Game One Victory

Cale Makar was a surprise press conference selection following game two as he joined Devon Toews on the podium following Colorado’s game-one victory over the Minnesota Wild. Still, he was visibly fatigued, albeit engaged during the presser.

Cale typically has a bright presence, even after a grueling playoff game. Still, his appearance struck me, considering he logged substantially less ice time and missed a large portion of the first period after an awkward hit and fall.

Cale Makar left the game after taking this hit: pic.twitter.com/sGtNUkrTHu

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 4, 2026

He looked completely exhausted and had a common vernacular pop up throughout his and Toewser’s availability.

“Yeah, it was a weird one.” Cale said about the flow of the game, but finished the thought with “it is what it is.”

I don’t think his appearance is really anything to read too deeply into, as it was a stressful evening for Cale. But without any clarity on exactly what happened to Cale during game one, it’s hard to say what it is.

One thing we do know for sure is that whatever Cale dealt with in game one, it wasn’t enough to keep him from making an impact.

Watching Cale Makar ram the dagger deep into the heart of Minnesota as the puck flies by Quinn Hughes and into the net makes me feel something incredible. pic.twitter.com/gEjCGwKsui

— Avalanche Forever (@citchmook) May 4, 2026

Good to Go?

Cale was asked if there was a point at which he considered not playing, and he replied, “Not really, I was just trying to get back and feel good.”

Many fans and pundits speculated that it was an issue with the hip as Makar took a hit from Foligno early in game one that sent his skates flying overhead and crashing down awkwardly.