Avalanche’s Cale Makar Responds to Nathan MacKinnon Fight for Coyotes’ Cheap Shot

The beauty and brutality of NHL playoff hockey crashed like waves Monday for Avalanche rookie Cale Makar.

Nineteen seconds into the third period of Game 4 against the Coyotes, Makar kicked an open puck on his blue line, reached top speed, slid Arizona defender Alex Goligoski with foolish stick work and backhanded the puck over the right path of goalkeeper Antti Raanta.

Several minutes later, with the Avs up 6-1, Nathan Mackinnon Coyotes beat Christian Fischer to the ice in a skirmish, fueled by Arizona forward Lawson Crouse, who controlled Makar for the first time in the boards.

The MVP candidate’s willingness to drop gloves for his star rookie speaks volumes about Makar’s immediate rise to Colorado. Makar’s response to MacKinnon’s defense

“I don’t want to put anyone on my team at a point where they have to stand up for everyone else,” Makar said. ‘It seems to make me a little guilty because I know I put myself in that scenario. But to step up like that (teammates) means something to me. I have a lot of respect for those guys and I hope they do the same for me. ”

Makar had already earned the respect of Avs teammates dating back to his NHL debut last postseason when the rookie scored in his first appearance. Makar has been just as impressive in these playoffs with six points (two goals) since entering the Edmonton bubble.

“Getting a taste of the postseason last year was very special,” Makar said. ‘I thought it would help me a lot this year to just know the guys, the system and everything. This (postseason) is just a completely different atmosphere that is here in this bubble. But the pace is very high and that’s one thing I got out of the last playoffs.

“Everyone reinforces their game and you can absolutely not take a shift.”

It is no surprise that teammates were so quick to defend Makar’s honor after the Coyotes’ cheap shot.

“It’s fun this year to see how he practices,” Donskoi said. ‘He’s still a young boy, but he’s a pro. He works hard every day and tries to get better. He is working on his skill set. … It’s just fun to watch. He is a good skater with a lot of skill.

“I’m glad he’s playing for us.