The NHL has suspended Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar for one game for his hit on Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann.
The Colorado Avalanche will be without arguably their best player for a critical Game 5 matchup on Wednesday night.
The NHL Department of Player Safety handed down yet another punishment in a hectic first round, suspending Makar for one game for his reckless hit on Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann.
This is the first suspension of Makar's 238-game NHL career, with the young defender never being subject to supplemental discipline prior to this ruling, which factored into his eventual sentence.
According to the NHL's official explanation, Makar argued he assumed the puck would bounce into the corner where he and McCann were, and the latter took a shot on goal off the rush. However, McCann was still ineligible to be hit and suffered an injury on the play that took him out of the game and could potentially sideline him indefinitely.
With Makar now on the sidelines, the Avalanche will be forced to break the tie in a tightly contested series without the reigning Norris winner.
This is the second suspension in the 2023 NHL playoffs, with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting having already served a three-game suspension.