MONTREAL — Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar missed practice Friday with Canada at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off because of an illness.
The Canadians have a showdown with the United States here Saturday night at Bell Centre.
“‘Expect’ is a big word, but I’m confident,” Canada coach Jon Cooper said to reporters in Brossard, Quebec, when asked if he expects Makar to play against the Americans. “I’m confident he’ll be there.”
Makar played a game-high 28:06 in Canada’s 4-3 overtime win against Sweden to open the tournament Wednesday night. He is on the team’s top pairing, along with Avalanche teammate Devon Toews, and is quarterbacking Canada’s top power-play unit that also features teammate Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.