Makar looks to rebound, make impact for Avalanche in Game 2 of Cup Final
Held without shot on goal for first time in playoffs in opening win against Lightning
But amid a 4-3 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at Ball Arena on Wednesday, he didn't have a shot on goal for the first time in the playoffs and was part of a key defensive breakdown.
The question entering Game 2 here on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS) is how he will adjust against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions' shot-blockers and high-end forwards.
Makar leads Colorado in scoring in the playoffs with 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 15 games.
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He led Avalanche skaters in ice time in Game 1 with 28:50, and they had 61.5 percent of the shot attempts with him on the ice at 5-on-5, impressive numbers.
But he went without a point for the fifth time in the playoffs this season, and not only did he go without a shot on goal for the first time in the playoffs this season, he went without one for the second time in his last 42 playoff games.
He missed the net three times, and Tampa Bay blocked seven of his shot attempts. Lightning coach Jon Cooper pointed out his team faced New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox in the Eastern Conference Final.
"I don't want to sit here and compare them, but they do have a similar mind and the way the shoot the puck, and so we have had a little bit of practice at it with him," Cooper said. "But if we're thinking he's not going to have a shot on goal in this series, we're sorely mistaken. Like, at some point, he's going to get them through. We're just probably fortunate enough that we were in lanes. We were patient with him."
Of course, Makar has seen this before. Opponents key on him. He sticks with it and uses his skating, skill and smarts to find shooting lanes, and often he succeeds.
He led NHL defensemen in goals (28) and was second in points (86) to Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators (96) in the regular season, and he is a finalist for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the best defenseman as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
"I don't think he's going to stop shooting, but if we can keep doing this, I mean, that helps our game," Cooper said.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said he trusts Makar's instincts. Makar said the key is not only getting the puck past the first layer of shot-blockers but also the second layer.
"It's just making sure you're moving it, have eyes up shooting, stuff that he does on a consistent basis, and if he sees something he likes at the net, I want him to send it there," Bednar said. "The blocked shots, hey, they're going to block a lot. It doesn't bother me. We'll get them back [with puck retrievals] if they block some of them. Just make sure we have a plan in case that happens."
Makar has been excellent defensively against some of the best players in the world, such as Edmonton Oilers forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the Western Conference Final.
But in the second period of Game 1, Lightning forwards Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat burned Makar and his partner, Devon Toews.
Palat dropped the puck for Kucherov as they crossed over one another coming across the Colorado blue line, and Makar said he and Toews left too large of a gap.
Kucherov turned Toews inside out with a world-class move. Palat got behind Makar to the back door and tapped in a pass, cutting the Avalanche's lead to 3-2 at 12:51 and changing the momentum.
The Lightning scored again 48 seconds later to tie the game 3-3.
"I knew [Palat] was going to go back door the whole time if he got around [Toews]," Makar said. "I was just kind of lazy and didn't get there. … Maybe a little bit of a mental lapse just in the game there, just for myself personally, and that can't happen."
Makar is not a lazy player, and it seems unlikely to happen again. But the Lightning stars need only one small opening to make even outstanding players look bad.
"Obviously we want to stay on our game plan, but at the end of the day, obviously Tampa's a great team, and they're so good at playing different styles, whether they're kind of shutting it down or being [opportunistic] in some aspects of the game," Makar said. "And obviously we had a few mental lapses in the second there, and they took advantage.
"For us, it's definitely just staying mentally locked in, doing those little things right and kind of not giving those chances up."
