For the first time this NHL season, the Colorado Avalanche will have to play without Cale Makar.

The 25 year old defenseman will miss Sunday evening’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. With Makar out, Sam Malinski will enter the lineup for his second career NHL game. Malinski played well against Seattle, but the Kings might present a tougher challenge. He currently has nine points in 17 games with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL.

Could Makar miss any more time?

“Out tonight. That’s all I know so far,” Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told Guerilla Sports.

As far as I know, it has not been disclosed if Makar is dealing with an upper or lower-body injury.

While Makar has left a few games with injuries this year, he hasn’t actually missed any games. Playing against the Kings without the best defenseman in the league will not be easy. Makar leads Colorado with 34 points in 23 games this season, and that puts him 4th in the NHL in scoring.

Beyond Makar, it sounds like there are a few other “game-time decisions” for Colorado, so we’ll see what the lineup is after warmups. The only extra the Avalanche are currently carrying is Kurtis MacDermid.

Stay tuned to Colorado Hockey Now for more news and postgame coverage after tonight’s game against the Kings.