Makar wows Avalanche teammates in first-round sweep of Predators

There's more."He might be one of the best [defensemen] to ever play by the end of his career, at this rate," MacKinnon said.MacKinnon has a good case.Makar was announced as a finalist for the Norris -- which goes to the NHL's best defenseman in the regular season, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association -- with Roman Josi of the Predators and Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday morning.Then he had a goal and two assists Monday night.He has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in four games. Among NHL defensemen who have played that many playoff games, only Orr (1.24) has more points per game than Makar (1.05) does."The way he dominates from the back end is amazing," MacKinnon said.Video: COL@NSH, Gm4: Makar whips one in from the high slotThis series featured the defensemen widely considered to be the top two contenders for the Norris: Josi, the winner in 2020, and Makar, the runner-up last season.Josi led NHL defensemen in assists (73) and points (96) this season, and he was second in goals (23). …"The wins are what matters, and that's all that we care about right now."The thing is, Makar's individual effort was a major reason the Avalanche swept the series.In Game 1, he scored three points (one goal, two assists) in a 7-2 win.In Game 2, he had 12 shots and scored in overtime to give Colorado a 2-1 win.In Game 3, he had three assists in a 7-3 win.In Game 4, he executed a spin-o-rama in front of Josi for a shorthanded scoring chance in the first period, scored on a rising wrist shot from the point to put Colorado ahead 2-1 in the second, had a breakaway later in the second, set up Valeri Nichushkin's goal that put Colorado ahead 4-3 in the third and assisted on an empty-net goal by MacKinnon to seal it."[Makar's impact] was huge the whole series," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said.