The Wraparound: Makar is winning his matchup with McDavid so far

The Wraparound is your daily look at the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’ll break down the NHL playoff games today with the all-important television information.

• The Rangers made a big statement and took a 2-0 series lead against the Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final.

• Canadiens goalie Carey Price is the winner of the 2021-22 Masterton Trophy. 

• Bruins blueliners need offseason surgeries, including Charlie McAvoy. 

• Free Agents? Trades? The Blues are facing some tough offseason questions. 

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar has only played three full seasons in the NHL and has already proven to be one of the league’s best players.

He has already won the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year, has been a two-time finalist for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defender (and finished in the top-10 all three years of his career), and is averaging more than a point-per-game in both the regular season and playoffs as a defenseman. His numbers are off the charts and he already looks like he is on track for a special career as one of the league’s elite.

For all of his individual accomplishments and stats, including a dominant performance earlier this postseason in the First Round against the Nashville Predators, he might be in the middle of his most impressive performance to date through the first two games of the Western Conference Finals.

In those two games he has mostly gone head-to-head with Edmonton Oilers megastar Connor McDavid and, along with his defense partner Devon Toews, helped slow down the league’s best offensive force.

While McDavid did have three points in the Oilers’ 8-6 Game 1 loss, he was completely shut out — along with the rest of the Oilers — in Colorado’s 4-0 Game 2 win.