Report: “Don’t expect a suspension” after Avs’ Cale Makar takes a nasty hit

The Avalanche lost to the Penguins 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday night.

That result was lousy enough, as Colorado blew a 1-0 lead late in the third period then couldn’t convert on a rare 4-on-3 power-play in OT before Pittsburgh ultimately won it.

But something else that happened in the game was a bigger story, and it appears Avs’ defenseman Cale Makar won’t be getting any justice.

Early in the third period, Makar took a nasty blindside hit from Penguins center Jeff Carter. He briefly went down on the ice and then had to go down the tunnel and back to the Colorado locker room. Luckily, he’d return to the game, but that doesn’t make this less difficult to watch.

Jeff Carter catches Cale Makar high with blind side contact, not pretty#GoAvsGo | #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/VxvdfeHz90

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) February 8, 2023

After the game, head coach Jared Bednar was blunt about what he saw, while the referees seemed to give Makar a fairly questionable explanation for why no penalty was called.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar on the hit by Penguins forward Jeff Carter on Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar:

"Skated right through his head. That’s what I saw.”

— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) February 8, 2023

“Pretty blindside,” Makar told Peter Baugh of The Athletic. “The ref said apparently we ran into each other, but I don’t know how that’s possible. He was coming down the ice.”

And this is where it gets even more frustrating. On Wednesday morning, Baugh reported the NHL Department of Player Safety reviewed the hit and likely won’t be suspending Carter.

Don’t expect a suspension for Jeff Carter today. DOPS agreed with the referees and viewed the play as more a collision than a hit.

Updated info here:https://t.co/mv48QmzF4V

— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) February 8, 2023

You can watch that video 100 times, and it is indeed a collision. But it’s a collision that Carter initiates with a blindside hit. It absolutely should’ve been a penalty during the game, and now it should be at least a fine, and probably a suspension for Carter.

It sounds like neither of those will happen, which is unfortunate. The only piece of good news is Makar appears to be okay, but that doesn’t mean what Carter did is acceptable. Or that the next player he does that against will walk away unscathed.

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