Cale Makar’s availability is the first item on the Colorado board as the Avalanche return home to face the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena. Makar missed Tuesday’s 3-2 win in Dallas while his wife, Tracy, went into labor with the couple’s twins, and coach Jared Bednar had not confirmed whether the defenseman would dress for the rematch.
If Makar is back, Colorado would welcome one of its fastest-starting players. He has three goals and four assists in five appearances, while averaging 21:30 per game. The Avalanche host Dallas at 8:30 p.m. ET on HBO MAX, truTV and TNT.
After the horn
Tuesday’s result gave the Avalanche the upper hand in a quick home-and-home set, but the Stars expect another tight, high-tempo night in Denver.
“It’s very early in the season, but you can feel how intense it is,” Dallas forward Tyler Seguin said after the loss. “It may not be playoff-level intensity, but games against them are always fast and always close.”
Nathan MacKinnon helped drive Colorado’s win with two assists. He enters Wednesday with seven points over his past three games and leads the Avalanche with 12 points, including five goals, through six contests.
MacKinnon has cleared the 100-point mark in each of the previous four seasons. His 2025-26 production reached 127 points, on 53 goals and 74 assists.
Earlier in the evening, the Montreal Canadiens visit the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena, with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. ET on MNMT and Prime.
Alex Ovechkin begins what could be his final regular season with three remaining games against Montreal. The Capitals captain has produced 44 goals and 32 assists in 63 career games against the Canadiens. He was held without a point in Washington’s 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and has one goal and one assist in six games this season.
The Capitals-Canadiens matchup also puts brothers Lane Hutson and Cole Hutson on NHL ice against each other for the first time. They have not previously faced one another at any level.
- Lane Hutson, 22, won the 2024-25 Calder Trophy and has one goal and five assists in six games for Montreal.
- Cole Hutson, 20, is in his rookie season with Washington and has a goal plus two assists in six outings.
- Quinn Hutson plays in the American Hockey League, while Lars Hutson is in the United States Hockey League, making four hockey-playing sons in the family.
