“STAR TARGETED?” Conspiracy Theories Erupt as Cale Makar Takes Scary Hit From Marcus Foligno Was This More Than Just a Play?

Cale Makar gave Jared Bednar quite a scare on Monday when Marcus Foligno hit him hard early in the first game against Minnesota.

This incident happened less than five minutes into the game, and it immediately changed the mood in the arena.

Foligno chased down Makar near the boards and made a strong hit, causing the Avalanche star to crash uncomfortably into the glass.

Makar returned to the bench, but not for long.

A short time later, he went down the tunnel, leaving Colorado facing a big problem they couldn’t afford.

That’s the main point here. This wasn’t just a tough hit in the playoffs.

This was a serious alarm involving Colorado’s best defenseman and a key player on their team.

Bednar’s team can handle a tough moment or a lucky bounce.

But losing Makar for any amount of time changes everything, especially so early in the second round of the playoffs.

Colorado’s whole dynamic shifts without Cale Makar.

He ended the regular season with 20 goals and 79 points over 77 games.

He also had a +34 rating, showing how much better Colorado plays when he’s on the ice.

The Avalanche swept Los Angeles in the first round, winning all four games, and Makar contributed with 2 goals and a +4 rating in that series.

That’s why the reaction from the bench in Colorado was so important.

When a player like Makar goes down the hallway in the first playoff game, every matchup and special teams play starts to feel different.

It also means the other defensemen have to step up more.

Minutes get mixed up, the puck movement slows down, and it becomes much harder to get the puck out of the zone when your top player is suddenly missing.

Colorado came into the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a record of 55 wins, 16 losses, and 11 ties, which equals 121 points.

Teams that have high potential are made up of key players who stay on the ice until the end of the game, not ones who exit early in the first period.

The bright side for the Avalanche is that Makar came back to the bench later, which eased some worries and gave Colorado a little hope that his injury wasn’t too serious.

However, the takeaway from Game 1 was already obvious.

Minnesota made sure Colorado experienced every part of the ice, and the hit by Foligno placed Makar’s situation in the spotlight immediately.