Makar Named Norris Finalist and Other News and Notes

Avs and Wild Wait for Saturday to resume series.

We wait for Game 3 of this second-round matchup between the Avalanche and Wild because of the PWHL matchup between the Victoire and Frost. I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m a massive follower of the PWHL or the Walter Cup, so I had to look up the reason for the mid-series delay. I don’t watch a ton of sports, including the NHL beyond the Avalanche, so I’m always a bit in the dark on these things.

Did you know the Celtics lost??

But games and practices and morning skates three straight days at the former ‘X’ has me concerned about the quality of the playing surface for Saturday night’s contest. That’s a lot of hockey to be played on one sheet, but if there’s any venue that could handle it, it would be the rink in St. Paul. Between the two pro teams that play there and the state’s widely popular high school tournament, that venue has been put through the ringer before.

So while we wait for Saturday night, let’s look at what’s going on with the Avs right now…

• It was announced this morning that Cale Makar is once again a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the League’s top defenseman. Joining Makar this year are Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin and Zach Werenski of Columbus. This is the sixth-straight year in which Makar has been named a finalist for the award, winning two previous times (2022 and 2025).