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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar will return to the lineup for Thursday’s game against the visiting Anaheim Ducks in Denver.

Makar has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for the Avalanche’s last four games. Although Colorado emerged victorious in all four contests to extend its winning streak to six games, Makar admitted it was difficult to see his team compete without him.

“That’s kind of a tough thing for me,” Makar said. “You watch your team go to battle, and you want to be with those guys. I love, obviously, playing hockey. So anytime I’m watching my team play it’s not a fun time. It’s not ideal to be out right now. I don’t look at it as in terms of I need that rest. It’s more so I want to be playing. It’s just a really unfortunate thing that happened, and I’ve just been trying to grind to get back.”

The reigning Norris and Conn Smythe Trophy recipient, Makar has 43 points (13 goals, 30 assists) in 42 games this season. He leads the NHL in ice time per game (27:09).

Makar has totaled 223 points (61 goals, 162 assists) in 220 career games since being selected by the Avalanche with the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.

–Field Level Media