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Avs’ Cale Makar scores in playoff debut days after Frozen Four

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Making his NHL debut, Cale Makar receives a pass in traffic a finds a lane through a group of defenders before going five-hole on Flames goalie Mike Smith.

Cale Makar is having himself a week.

After falling just short of an NCAA title with the University of Massachusetts on Saturday, Makar signed a rookie deal with the Colorado Avalanche, and it probably would have been impressive enough that he managed to suit up for Game 3 against the Calgary Flames.

Makar decided that wasn’t enough. The 20-year-old defenseman scored a goal to put Colorado up 3-0 in Game 3, with assists from Nathan MacKinnon and Alex Kerfoot. (MacKinnon, remarkably scored two goals and one assist during the first period alone, carrying over his momentum from producing a thrilling overtime-winner in Game 2.)
[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

You can watch Makar’s first goal in his first game (playoffs or otherwise) in the video above this post’s headline. Game 3 is airing on CNBC (Stream here).

Makar was the fourth overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft. He logged 5:24 TOI during the first period, not much less than veteran defenseman Erik Johnson (6:06). That time could be inflated by some power-play work, but it’s an interesting show of trust from Colorado. Considering the Avs’ so-so defense, Makar could be quite a boost - not just in the future, but also the present.

More: Avalanche add Makar, who also won the Hobey Baker this season, by the way.

James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.