Avs HC Jared Bednar lauds Cale Makar after Bruins loss amid D-man's self-criticism

Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche have had a tough start to their season. A 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday marked their fourth consecutive loss to start the campaign.

Despite the team's struggles, coach Jared Bednar praised Cale Makar, who had a strong game after criticizing himself following Monday's loss to the New York Islanders.

"I think just a lot of myself, just not moving my feet, not playing my game. ... I got to be better for these guys," Makar had said on Monday.

Against the Bruins, Makar scored one goal and had two assists and finished the game with a -2 rating. After the game, Bednar noted Makar’s improvement (4:12) :

"I thought Cale Makar was really critical of his own game the other night. He was outstanding. Tonight. Involved, assertive, physical, both sides."

He urged key players to step up during this tough time. Bednar stressed that Makar and others must focus on both scoring and defense.

"We need them to try and go above and beyond, but not just trying to get points, but like, get, like, to produce offense, to win. Like, they got to be really good on both sides of the puck, and we're asking them to play a lot right now, but if they keep playing like that, then I like where we're headed," Bednar added.

The Avalanche started the season with high hopes but are struggling. Makar's desire to improve could help the team, having registered one goal and seven assists for eight points. He averages 24:55 of ice time per game.

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Cale Makar couldn't help the Colorado Avalanche turn things around

The Boston Bruins defeated the Colorado Avalanche, marking Colorado's worst start since the 1998-99 season. In the second period, David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm put the Bruins up 4-1.

The Avalanche attempted to make a comeback with Cale Makar's second-period goal. Mikko Rantanen found the back of the net in the final period, bringing the score to 4-3. Nevertheless, John Beecher scored an empty-net goal to ensure Boston's victory.

Alexandar Georgiev allowed four goals, which has been a major concern for the Avalanche this season, as it has allowed 25 goals in four games. In the season opener, Vegas scored eight goals, and since then the Avalanche have conceded six goals twice and five to the Bruins.