When Jordan Eberle’s overtime shot hit the back of the net in Game 4, it instantly became one of the biggest moments in the Seattle Kraken’s brief history as an NHL franchise. Sure, overtime wins in the playoffs are always special, but the context of the Kraken winning Game 4 that way is important.
That’s because it opened the door to a potentially huge upset over the Colorado Avalanche. That door got even wider on Tuesday, when the NHL announced a one-game suspension for Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar. In the first period of the Kraken’s Game 4 win, Makar delivered a late hit to Seattle forward Jared McCann, who left the game and did not return.
After reviewing the play following the game, the NHL Department of Player Safety suspended the star blueliner for Game 5. So now the series is headed back to Denver tied at 2-2, and the Kraken have a golden opportunity to put the defending champions on the ropes.
Makar is arguably the best defenseman in the world. The 24-year-old star has a Norris Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup to back up that claim. With Makar out of the lineup, the Avs are still formidable, but their defense is noticeably more vulnerable.
Through four games against Seattle, Colorado has controlled play with Makar on the ice at five-on-five. Without Makar in the game, it has been a very different story for the Avs.
|
With Makar |
Without Makar |
|
|
Shot attempt share |
61.1% |
44.5% |
|
Expected goal share |
58.3% |
41.5% |
|
Goal differential |
+2 |
-2 |
*Numbers courtesy of Natural Stat Trick
As evidenced in that table above, the Avalanche’s depth defensemen have struggled this series, and that issue will only be more apparent with Makar completely out of the lineup in Game 5. The Kraken have found some success against Samuel Girard, Erik Johnson, and Josh Manson this series, and at least one of them will get the call to play a more prominent role Wednesday night.
On the other hand, depth is a strength of this Seattle team, which becomes especially important. After taking that hit from Makar, McCann has already been ruled out for Game 5. The Kraken, though, are well-equipped to deal with the loss of their 40-goal scorer.
In this series, 11 different players have scored for Seattle, and McCann isn’t one of them. That speaks to the team’s balanced attack.
Make no mistake about it, the Avalanche are still the favorite to win this series. Even without Makar for one game, Colorado still has some serious starpower on its bench, and it is a team that knows how to win in the postseason. However, the Kraken are coming off a dominant performance in Game 4, and they will face the Avalanche without one of their top two players in Game 5. Seattle has suddenly gone from a fun playoff story to a legitimate first-round threat. A win in Game 5 would put the Avs’ backs up against the wall, and anything can happen in an elimination playoff game — if it comes to that.
