In Game 5 against the Kraken, there will be no Cale Makar, no Valeri Nichushkin, no Gabriel Landeskog, no Nazem Kadri, no Andre Burakovsky and no hope for the Avalanche fans who can’t help but compare this team to last year’s.
Makar is suspended one game for his hit on Jared McCann. Nichushkin has been ruled out for Game 5 as he remains away from the team, with coach Jared Bednar citing personal reasons. The Avs are depleted again with a knotted 2-2 first-round series.
Here are three keys to an Avalanche rebound Wednesday (7:30 p.