Cale Makar missing ahead of Game 3.

Uh oh.

The Colorado Avalanche have hit the ice ahead of Game 3 of their second round series against the Minnesota Wild and there is a notable gap in their lineup. According to multiple reporters on scene for the Avalanche's morning skate ahead of Game 3, notably absent from today's practice is Avalanche star defenseman Cale Makar.

Makar has taken his fair share of lumps in this series already and you have to wonder if he is currently dealing with an injury that he is trying to nurse by staying off the ice during practice.

In Game 1 for example, Makar was forced to leave the game temporarily after he was on the receiving end of a big hit courtesy of Wild veteran forward Marcus Foligno. Although Makar did return to the game eventually, it was clear that he had been hurt on the play.

While this is certainly a cause for concern it must be said that Makar also opted to skip the team's morning skate ahead of Game 2, so this could very well be a deliberate attempt to rest and recover on the part of Makar and the Avalanche.

We will likely learn more when Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar speaks to the media. Stay tuned for more on this developing story.