Cale Makar was a surprise press conference selection following game two as he joined Devon Toews on the podium following Colorado’s game-one victory over the Minnesota Wild. Still, he was visibly fatigued, albeit engaged during the presser.
Cale typically has a bright presence, even after a grueling playoff game. Still, his appearance struck me, considering he logged substantially less ice time and missed a large portion of the first period after an awkward hit and fall.
He looked completely exhausted and had a common vernacular pop up throughout his and Toewser’s availability.
“Yeah, it was a weird one.” Cale said about the flow of the game, but finished the thought with “it is what it is.”
I don’t think his appearance is really anything to read too deeply into, as it was a stressful evening for Cale. But without any clarity on exactly what happened to Cale during game one, it’s hard to say what it is.
One thing we do know for sure is that whatever Cale dealt with in game one, it wasn’t enough to keep him from making an impact.
Good to Go?
Cale was asked if there was a point at which he considered not playing, and he replied, “Not really, I was just trying to get back and feel good.”
Many fans and pundits speculated that it was an issue with the hip as Makar took a hit from Foligno early in game one that sent his skates flying overhead and crashing down awkwardly.
“Um, yeah, it’s not fun when you kinda tweak something, but again, it happens, you gotta be ready for it. So, um, had to check a couple things out, make sure it was good to go, and yeah, felt good.”
We saw a part of the checking things out process, as Cale Makar seemed to be working on his hip with a medical glove on, with trainers on the bench when he finally returned to the bench at the end of the 1st.
Makar mentioned he saw Foligno coming, stating, “I tried to absorb it, just a weird kinda fall there, and I tried to kinda back out of it as I saw he was kinda coming at me.”
It’s good to know that Cale is on the lookout for runs, as the Wild came through on the hitting narrative that built in anticipation of the series.
Makar was asked, do you think there’s gonna be more like that?
“Yeah, 100 percent,” he replied.
We have since heard from head coach Jared Bednar that he isn’t concerned with Cale Makar’s status for game two, which is good news. Still, the unrelenting checking from Minnesota and specifically those targeting Cale will likely bring more vigor than ever, with Makar showing a slight chink in his armor.
Let us know what you thought of Cale’s game one scare in the comments!
