For the following reasons, one of Seattle’s top players is suspended:.
The NHL suspended star defenseman Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche for one game on Tuesday for his hit on Seattle’s Jared McCann early in the game during their Game 4 loss to the Kraken.
With the series tied 2-2, Makar, the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP the previous year, will be in the stands for Wednesday night’s Game 5. Following a hearing with Makar, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety declared the suspension.
“Disappointing, but I really don’t have any thoughts on it besides that,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said after the team arrived in Denver.
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Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said after the Kraken’s 3-2 overtime win Monday night that McCann would miss Game 5 and likely be out longer. He made no mention of McCann’s injury.
Following Kraken’s arrival in Denver on Tuesday, Hakstol declared that his team would not be bogged down in discussions regarding Makar’s suspension.
“Our players seem to be more concerned about their teammate who is going through a difficult time today as he gets through this than they are about the suspension, whether it is imposed or not, or how long it will last,” Hakstol stated. “That makes it easier because they are concentrating on Game 5 tomorrow night.”
The league referred to the suspension as an inappropriate “body check on a vulnerable player” in a video announcing it.
The league stated, “Makar finishes this hit well outside the allowable window to finish a check.” Furthermore, it is evident that Makar knew McCann was not in possession of the puck when he chose to hit McCann.
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The Avalanche, who have struggled with serious injuries for most of the season, lost forward Valeri Nichushkin for personal reasons during the previous two games. This suspension is just another setback for the team.
With an average of 25 minutes, 15 seconds per game throughout the series, Makar has led Colorado in ice time. On Monday night, he played almost 27 minutes. After four games, he has two assists and one goal.
Since making his NHL debut in 2019, Makar has never before faced a fine or suspension.
Just other men are coming forward. We’ve done it the entire season, switching up the lineup and dealing with injuries. There are many changes to the roster. I simply have to move on, Bednar remarked. “You need to establish your strategy, and the other guys need to step up and perform well. All six of the guys on the back end must obviously cover what he does by committee. Just keep going forward.
Midway through the opening frame, McCann attempted a short-handed breakaway when he was hit. Alexandar Georgiev, the goalie for Colorado, stopped his shot, preventing the puck from crossing the glass and entering the net.
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Seattle’s top scorer from the regular season was left on the ice for several minutes and required assistance to get to the bench after McCann appeared unprepared for Makar’s hit.
“We’re really going to miss him,” Seattle defenseman Vince Dunn said. “We don’t want that to cause any disruptions in our changing areas. We wish to concentrate on the current plan at hand.
Makar claimed that, at the time of the hit, he had no idea where the puck was. After a review, the original 5-minute major penalty against him was reduced to a 2-minute minor for interference.
How the penalty was reduced from a major to a minor during the game and then approved for suspension the following day remained a mystery to Hakstol.
“It is regrettable. I want to never hurt guys. After the game, Makar said, “Hopefully, he’s okay. “I don’t think I really tried to kill him, but I think they would have done the same thing if I had been in that situation. I have no intention of hurting anyone.
