Cale Makar Suspended One Game For Hit on Jared McCann
The Seattle Kraken came back to beat the defending champion Colorado Avalanche last night, but the biggest moment in the game happened less than nine minutes into the contest. Cale Makar, one of the best defensemen in the NHL, hammered Seattle forward — and leading scorer — Jared McCann into the boards. McCann left the game and did not return.
An interference penalty was called on Makar on the play, and it was initially ruled a five-minute major. But after a review the penalty was backed off to a two-minute minor. Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol was understandably irate that the penalty was walked back to a minor after the game.
On Tuesday, Makar had a meeting with the NHL Department of Player Safety regarding the hit. The league announced that Makar has been suspended for Game Five of the series.
McCann scored a career-high 40 goals this season for the Kraken and has scored 67 in his two seasons in Seattle since he was selected in the expansion draft. The Avs had done a good job of keeping him under wraps in the series — he has one assist only in the first four games — but now it appears he’ll miss Game Five and maybe longer.
The series is tied at two games apiece heading into a Game Five that will now be without two of the more important players in the series. We’ll see which team adjusts best. The Kraken did a nice job of rallying in McCann’s absence to win in Game Four.
