Kraken regroup for Game 5 without injured McCann
Look to take Western 1st Round lead against Avalanche minus top scorer
Seattle and Colorado are tied 2-2 in the Western Conference First Round entering Game 5 of the best-of-7 series at Ball Arena on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, SN360, TVAS, ALT, ROOT-NW).
"It stinks] that he's out," Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn said. "We're really going to miss him. We don't want that to be a distraction in our locker room. We want to focus on the plan that we have in hand and just focus on the start of the next game."
McCann was injured when he took a hit from Makar in the first period of Seattle's 3-2 overtime win in Game 4 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Monday. Makar received a one-game suspension for interference Tuesday.
Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said after the game that McCann would not be available for Game 5 and probably longer. He said Tuesday that McCann didn't travel to Denver after having a "pretty tough night."
[RELATED: [Complete Avalanche vs Kraken series coverage]
McCann led Seattle in goals (40) and points (70) in the regular season. He has one assist in the series, playing left wing on the first line with center Matty Beniers and right wing Jordan Eberle, while skating on both special teams.
"The offensive piece is very important," Hakstol said. "You can't discount a 40-goal scorer. There's not many of them in this league, and he's real important to us in that respect. He's a huge piece of the Beniers line. But he's also a big defensive piece for us with [penalty killing] and the different roles that he plays at different times during the game."
The Kraken went 3-0-0 without McCann in the regular season and won after his injury Monday, however, with players mixing and matching.
"It's something we can't worry about right now," Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen said. "There's going to be a lot of other guys stepping up."
Seattle's strength is depth, and the Kraken have overcome the loss of their leading scorer before. Forward Andre Burakovsky led them with 39 points (13 goals, 26 assists) in 49 games when he sustained a lower-body injury Feb. 7. They went 17-13-3 afterward.
"We've dealt with different things throughout the year, just as everybody has," Hakstol said. "Our guys have had good perspective, and we'll have that going into tomorrow night. They'll know the challenge, they'll know the opportunity at hand, and they'll be prepared to go out and play well and get after that."
Makar is the reigning winner of the Norris Trophy, voted the NHL's best defenseman last season, and the Conn Smythe Trophy, voted the most valuable player of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He led the Avalanche with 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 20 games when they won the Stanley Cup last season.
He had 66 points (17 goals, 49 assists) in 60 games and led Colorado in average ice time (26:23) in the regular season. After missing the last seven regular-season games with a lower-body injury, he has three points (one goal, three assists) and leads Colorado in average ice time (25:15) in the series.
The Avalanche's strength is their elite talent: Makar and forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.
They are already without captain Gabriel Landeskog, who missed the regular season and is out for the playoffs due to a knee injury, and forward Valeri Nichushkin, who has missed the past two games and will miss Game 5 for personal reasons. Defenseman Jack Johnson has not played in the series due to a lower-body injury.
Colorado went 17-3-2 without Makar in the regular season, however.
"We've done it all year with different injuries and guys in and out of the lineup," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "Lots of roster fluctuations, and just got to move on. You got to set your game plan, and other guys will have to step up and play well. Obviously, what he does will be covered by the committee of all six guys on the back end. Just move forward and keep pushing forward."
After the Kraken took a 2-0 lead in the first period of Game 4, Bednar shortened his bench, leaning heavily on his top three lines and two defense pairs. Now he won't have his No. 1 defenseman, who played 26:59, the most of any skater on either team.
The Kraken blocked 26 shots in Game 4. Makar is adept at finding shooting lanes and teeing up teammates for open looks. He led the Avalanche with four shots on goal in Game 4.
Asked if the Kraken had to take advantage of the Avalanche not having Makar in the lineup, Hakstol said: "I don't know. Are they looking at trying to take advantage of us without McCann? I don't really look at it that way. The game will be decided on the ice tomorrow night by the guys that are available, and that's the bottom line."
