DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche will be without their top defenseman when they open the Western Conference final against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday. Cale Makar, the two-time Norris Trophy winner and this year’s finalist for the award, is sidelined with an upper-body injury, coach Jared Bednar announced.

Makar, 27, is listed as day-to-day and is expected to return at some point in the series, according to Bednar. He sustained multiple injuries during the second round against the Minnesota Wild but continued playing through them.

In Makar’s absence, defenseman Jack Ahcan will make his third career playoff appearance. Ahcan, 29, steps into a lineup that reached the conference final for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. Makar was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP that season.

The Golden Knights, who clinched a playoff spot with a 3-2 overtime win at Ball Arena on April 11 — a game Makar also missed — will face a Colorado team that has been formidable at home. Game 1 is set for 5 p.m. Wednesday at Ball Arena, airing on ESPN.

The series schedule includes potential games through June 1, with Game 2 on Friday in Denver before shifting to Las Vegas for Games 3 and 4.