The Colorado Avalanche were without superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar to finish a road game against the Ottawa Senators Thursday night. The Avs were down going into the third period and made a push that gave them a lead, but ultimately fell 4-3 in overtime against the Senators.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 26: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche is congratulated by Cale Makar #8 after scoring a goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the first period in Game Four of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 26, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Harry How / Getty Images
The team announced on social media that both key players would not return to the game after they exited separately in the second period. MacKinnon and Makar are now listed with lower-body injuries.
Nathan MacKinnon (lower body) and Cale Makar (lower body) will not return to tonight’s game.
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 13, 2026
Makar appeared to be in discomfort during an awkward moment alone with the puck in the offensive zone, which caused him to leave the game. This happened more than halfway through the second frame.
Moments later, MacKinnon appeared to be hurt when he became tied up with Sens defenseman Artem Zub, who laid a couple crosschecks on him in the hip area. MacKinnon was grabbing his right side in pain and skated off to the bench, never returning to the ice.
After the road loss, head coach Jared Bednar did not disclose anything about the short-term futures of his two top players during a post-game interview with Altitude Sports. He did say he was happy with the effort, and found it to be a competitive game that led the team to still walk away with another point in the standings under the circumstances.
The Colorado Avalanche stay on the road to take on the Montreal Candiens at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14.