In game two of the Colorado Avalanche's opening round series against the Los Angeles Kings on April 21, defenseman Cale Makar reached a maximum speed of 23.92 mph.

That speed is the fastest ever recorded by a defenseman in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the NHL started tracking the stat in the 2021-22 season. It’s also the fastest overall speed in this year’s playoffs, regardless of position.

Makar’s top speed is over 1 mph faster than this year’s next fastest defenseman of the playoffs, Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins (22.78 mph). Previously, the highest max speed mark for a defenseman in the playoffs was set last year by Noah Hanifin for the Vegas Golden Knights (23.66 mph).

The next fastest skater after Makar this year is Los Angeles’ Trevor Moore. The left winger has topped out at 23.48 mph this postseason.

Makar’s previous top speed in the playoffs was 23.28 mph, which he hit last year. During the 2021-22 regular season, he reached a max speed of 23.74 mph, which — until this April— was his highest ever recorded.

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During the 2025-26 regular season, Makar was the fifth-fastest defenseman, as he trailed Ottawa's Jake Sanderson, Utah's Mikhail Sergachev, Boston's Nikita Zadorov, and Karlsson. His new 23.92 mph mark lags only Sanderson’s top speed of 24.37 mph among defensemen.

Makar’s Colorado teammate Nathan McKinnon has the all-time playoff speed record of 24.54 mph, set during the 2022 playoffs.

Makar and the Western Conference’s top-seeded Avalanche swept the Kings in round one and await the winner of Dallas-Minnesota in round two.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cale Makar NFL playoffs speed chart: How he compares to everyone else