Cale Makar is a gentleman of the game.
Cale Makar is a gentleman of the game.
Whenever the New York Islanders find themselves in Colorado as they do on Monday night, the brain flashes back to Dec. 19, 2022.
Ilya Sorokin, who has yet to start for the Islanders this season, was brilliant in what was a 1-0 shutout loss, with Alexandar Georgiev earning the shutout.
Fun fact: Georgiev has been pulled in each of his first two starts of the season. He has allowed eight goals on 25 shots for a 7.75 GAA and a .680 SV%.
But that's not why the game is memorable. Something occurred during regulation of that 1-0 loss that is rarely seen, not just in hockey but in professional sports.
With just a few minutes to play in the first period, Mathew Barzal was called for a trip on Cale Makar and skated over to the box, as a player normally does.
At that point in the game, the score was 0-0, with the Avalanche getting a prime chance to light the lamp first on the man advantage.
But after a quick discussion, the penalty was waived off, and Barzal skated back to the Islanders' bench.
It turns out that Makar was the reason for that, telling the referee that he fell on his own and that Barzal did not trip him.
A true gamesmanship moment for Makar, but one that certainly impacted the game.
That's not to say that the Avalanche would have found the back of the net on the man advantage, but they were top five at that moment in time, operating at 27.7 percent through 29 games.
"I honestly didn't even know he waved it off until I saw it after," Barzal said to us postgame. "I thought the ref just made the call, but yeah, obviously good sportsmanship on his part not taking that.
"I don't know if I would have done the same, to be honest with you."
Makar felt incredibly guilty during his postgame interview.
"The ref that called it wasn't the one at center ice. I don't think he had a good angle on it," Makar said. "I think I would have felt a lot less guilty if I didn't say anything than if I did.
"I apologize to (my teammates). I don't plan on doing that again."
Islanders head coach at the time, Lane Lambert, gave credit to Makar.
"He's just an honest player who wants to beat you fair and square."
But then, when Lambert was asked how he would feel if one of his players did that, he pleaded the fifth.
"Well, that's irrelevant because none of my players did do that."