“Not giving those chances up” – Cale Makar looks to rebound making impact for Avalanche in Game 2 of Stanley Final Cup
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Cale Makar to make a rebound at Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final
Colorado Avalance defenceman Cale Makar has always been the catalyst for the team. The defenceman is highly a prospect to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a shot at goal at the 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Final Cup and was part of a key defensive breakdown.
There’s been doubt about how the player will be adjusting against the two-time defending Stanley Cup Championship’s shot blockers and high-end forwards in Game 2 on Saturday. In the playoffs, Cale Makar led the team in scoring with 22 points in 5 goals and 7 assists in 15 games. In Game 1 of the Final Cup, he led the Avalanche skaters where they had 61.5 per cent of shot attempts with him at 5 on 5.
Cale Makar looks forward to assisting the Avalanche during Game 2 of the Final Cup
Regrettably, Cale Makar missed the net 3 times and got 7 of his shots blocked by Lightning players. Lightning coach Jon Cooper pointed out to his team when they faced the Rangers defenceman, 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 they shoot the puck, and so we have had a little bit of practice at it with him”. “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.”
Makar knows well how opponents key on him while he sticks with it and uses his skating and smarts them at finding shooting lanes. And often times he succeeds in making the goal. Cooper continued, “I don’t think he’s going to stop shooting, but if we can keep doing this, I mean, that helps our game”.
On the other hand, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said that he trusts Markar’s instincts, as noted on nhl.com. Bednar went on, “It’s just making sure you’re moving it, have eyed 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”. “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.”
Cale Makar is not necessarily a bad player but in instances where the game is at its peak, and a player losses points, it affects the game badly. Cale Makar noted, “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.”
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Kaushani Chatterjee
(2179 Articles Published)