Jared Bednar gets real about Cale Makar after going down 0-2 in Western Conference Final.

The Colorado Avalanche were flying high coming into the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, but after 2 games in the series the Avalanche find themselves staring at an 0-2 series deficit, the kind of deficit that very few teams in National Hockey League history have managed to overcome.

To make matters worse the biggest talking point around the Avalanche hasn't been the play of the players who have been on the ice but rather the absence of their star defenseman, Cale Makar. Makar has been sidelined for the first two games of the series due to injury and when he was asked about Makar's absence following the loss in Game 2, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar didn't have many answers.

"There's urgency to get him back like since he since he's gotten hurt," said Bednar laughing at being asked whether or not his team felt urgency to get Makar back in the lineup. "But it's going to be Cale's decision on when he's he's coming back. He's doing all the work he can possibly do to try to get back as fast as he can. And we get word he can play, then that's great. But I don't make that decision for them."

Makar is having another tremendous season, one that saw him play just under 25 minutes of ice time a night during both the regular season and playoffs and is considered by most to be among the best, or the very best, defensemen in the entire National Hockey League. His absence has been a glaring hole in the Avalanche's lineup through the first two games and I am afraid that the only way the Avalanche will fill that gap is if Makar is healthy enough to return to action. Through his first 9 playoff games he has 4 goals and 1 assist for 5 points and a plus minus rating of +5 in these Stanley Cup playoffs.

The historical outlook is dire for Colorado. Since 1982, road teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in the conference finals hold a perfect 13-0 record in those series. The Avalanche will need to find answers quickly, and getting Makar back on the blue line could be the key to avoiding elimination in what has suddenly become a desperate situation.