Close Calls
Cale Makar dodging a skate to the throat (from his own teammate) might be the play of the year in the NHL
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar had himself a game on Monday night. He got the puck on net nine times, scored twice and had a pair of blocked shots and two hits in Colorado's 7-5 win over Ottawa. He was on the ice for just over 24 minutes, second-most on the team. And yet, his best play may have come while he was parked on the bench.
Unfortunately, the play in question is only in GIF form, and we have no idea at what point in the game it happened. When it did, though, Makar's life likely flashed before his eyes, and the Avs season hung in the balance. Losing Makar for any period of time would be a huge dagger, but luckily he has cat-like reflexes. Watch as Makar dodges a skate to the neck ... from his own teammate Erik Johnson:
Phew, that was a close one. Honestly surprised this doesn't happen more often during line changes. Luckily for Johnson, Makar had his head on a swivel. Had he connected, Johnson would be on the next plane out of town. You don't slice the franchise's throat and live to tell the tale.
Johnson might want to keep those skates down going forward.