Avalanche’s Cale Makar to Miss Game 5 Versus Kraken After Receiving One-Game Suspension
Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar will be unavailable for Wednesday’s pivotal Game 5 against the Seattle Kraken after receiving a one-game suspension from the NHL’s Player Safety Department on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old defenseman was disciplined for his late hit on Kraken forward Jared McCann during a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 4, tying the series at 2-2. He initially received a five-minute major penalty before referees reduced it to a two-minute minor upon review.
In a video released by the league, Makar’s collision with McCann was described as unnecessary as he made an improper “body check to a vulnerable player.”
“Makar finishes this hit well outside the allowable window to finish a check,” the league said. “In addition, it is clear that Makar knows McCann is not in possession of the puck when he decides to deliver this hit.”
The hit transpired midway through the opening frame following McCann’s breakaway attempt on Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. With Colorado on the power play, the 40-goal scorer received a short-handed scoring chance, only to be turned aside.
Georgiev deflected the puck into the netting over the glass, with officials blowing the play dead. McCann broke stride and skated towards the corner, leaving him defenseless against Makar’s hit, which led to a dangerous collision along the boards.
Seattle’s leading scorer from the regular season remained on the ice for several minutes before being helped to the bench and ultimately down the tunnel into the dressing room.
McCann suffered an undisclosed injury on the play, with Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol already ruling him out for Wednesday’s tilt at Ball Arena. And he wasn’t pleased with how officials handled the situation, either.
“Late hit. Really late. No puck in play. Our 40-goal scorer [is] not available for the rest of the game,” Hakstol said post-game. “I disagree with [the penalty call], obviously, as I assessed it and looked at it live and for sure looking at it after on video.”
Makar, who didn’t feature a previous history of being fined or suspended by the NHL, claimed he wasn’t aware McCann’s shot went out of play and thought he was waiting for it to drop in the corner. But, by the time he realized where it went, it was already too late.
The 2022 Conn Smythe Trophy winner has led all Avalanche skaters in ice time during the series, logging 25:15 minutes per game. He owns one goal and three points through the first four games.
“It was a hockey play. I’m assuming he was going to the corner because it was coming down. I didn’t really look. Just unfortunate how that happened,” Makar said.
“It’s unfortunate. I never want to injure guys. Hopefully he’s all right,” Makar continued. “I didn’t feel like I tried to finish him that hard, but I feel like if I was in that scenario they would have done the exact same thing. I’m not trying to hurt anybody.”
Losing Makar is a huge blow for the Avalanche, who have been without Valeri Nichushkin (personal reasons) for the last two games and captain Gabriel Landeskog all season. It also doesn’t help defensemen Josh Manson (12:31) and Erik Johnson (11:51) played limited minutes in Game 4 after returning from injury.
Makar, the 2021-22 Norris Trophy winner as the league’s best D-man, scored 17 goals and 66 points in 60 games while battling injuries this season.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Quintin Soloviev. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.