Relentlessly booed in Seattle last year, Cale Makar expects more

Colorado Avalanche star defenseman Cale Makar was not in uniform for a pivotal Game 5 against Seattle Kraken in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring.

Makar, was suspended for a dirty hit in Game 4 of the series, which sent Jared McCann flying in a collision deemed late. Colorado lost Game 5 of the series and Makar came back, helping Colorado send it back to Seattle for a seventh game—but the Avs were still knocked out of the playoffs.

This will be Makar’s first regular season game against the Kraken since the hit, and the d-man is expecting a strong reaction.

“I put myself in a spot where that’s going to happen for however long it is,” Makar told Peter Baugh of The Athletic. “I never want to put myself in a position like that. So that one’s on me. But at the end of the day you’ve just got to bite the pill and take it.”

Makar is seeking to become the third NHL d-man in the past 30 years to start his season with goals in each of his team’s first three games in the Tuesday night clash on ESPN.

Seattle lost to Dallas in Game 7 of the second round. Makar’s absence from a singular game against the Kraken was overshadowed by forward Valeri Nichushkin’s disappearance from the team later in the series. Colorado feels reloaded for this season and tops many Cup odds to win a title. The Avs have started the season with two wins and will host their first home game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.

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