Makar day-to-day with upper-body injury, MacKinnon back in lineup

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is unavailable for Sunday's clash against the Vegas Golden Knights and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar confirmed to The Athletic's Peter Baugh.

Sunday's game is Colorado's first since Feb. 2, as the club has dealt with a series of postponements due to COVID-19 protocols.

While Makar's absence is significant, the Avalanche will have No. 1 center Nathan MacKinnon back in the lineup. The 25-year-old was originally considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury but only missed one game before Colorado's schedule came to a halt.

Makar, 22, has been sensational in his sophomore season, racking up 12 points in 11 games while logging over 24 minutes of ice time per contest. The reigning Calder Trophy winner has firmly established himself as a Norris candidate early in the 2020-21 season.

Here is Colorado's projected lineup for Sunday:

The Avalanche are 7-3-1 on the season and sit third in the West Division. They have one game in hand on second-place Vegas and four games in hand on the division-leading St. Louis Blues.