Cale Makar joined Avalanche teammates for optional practice after missing a Game 1 loss to the Golden Knights.

Is the injured Colorado defenseman any closer to returning to the Western Conference finals?

“No, I don’t have an update,” Bednar said on Thursday at Family Sports Center. “We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

The Avs trail Vegas 1-0 ahead of Game 2 on Friday at Ball Arena. Makar appeared to injure his shoulder in their second-round playoff victory over the Minnesota Wild. He is listed with an upper-body injury.

The Avalanche will turn to either Nick Blankenburg or Jack Ahcan to round out their defensemen if Makar is unable to play in Game 2. His absence also amplifies the role of defenseman Sam Malinski. He logged 20:31 of ice time in the Game 1 loss to Vegas.

“You obviously can’t replace Cale,” Malinski said. “But we all know we have to step up and play a little more. So, I don’t think we really need to change the style of play. I don’t need to change the way I play.”

Kadri impact

The Avalanche reunited with Nazem Kadri in a March trade to bring the Stanley Cup-winning forward back to Colorado. He’ll be counted on in Game 2 to get the Avs back on track.

“I thought (Kadri) had a strong finish to the Minnesota series,” Bednar said. “I thought he did some good things last night (in Game 1). Especially after we moved him around a little bit in the third period. I liked him. I think there’s a lot of guys in our lineup that would look at their game and say it was good at times (and) it wasn’t good at times. So, Naz included.

“I think the consistency in the way we play needs to go up a notch.”

Kadri is confident the Avalanche will bounce back against Vegas.

“I know there’s going to be a response. There’s no question about it,” Kadri said. “I think even in the last series, when we lost Game 3, we responded in Game 4. I think some people thought the sky was falling then. We certainly believe we have a process that we stick to, and we’re not going to waver from that.”

Briefly

The Avalanche are favored (-1.5) to beat the Golden Knights in Game 2 on Friday, according to FanDuel. … Forward Val Nichushkin scored his first goal in the Western Conference finals during Game 1 against Vegas. Bednar said: “If you look at a couple of other chances he had on the night, they’re right in the blue paint, and historically it’s where Val tends to get his best chances, right? So, I think he needs to continue to head there.” … Vegas coach John Tortorella addressed reporters on Thursday at a news conference. He said: “There are a number of things we need to be better at.”