Makar suspended 1 game for hit that injured Kraken's McCann

Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar will sit out one playoff game for his hit on Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday.

McCann exited Game 4 and didn't return after Makar interfered with him.

Makar was initially assessed a five-minute major, but it was reduced to a two-minute minor for interference after review. McCann needed help leaving the ice.

Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol said postgame that McCann won't play in Game 5 and could be out longer. The bench boss described the hit as "really late (with) no puck in play" despite the officials contradicting him on the latter point.

"I didn't feel like I tried to finish him that hard. I feel like if I was in that scenario, they would've done the exact same thing," Makar said. "I'm not trying to hurt anybody. It's just unfortunate (and a) tough bounce there. They got the call right, and that's all you can ask for."

The Avalanche defenseman said he didn't know where the puck was and thought the Kraken's leading scorer during the regular season was heading to the corner to pursue it.

McCann paced the Kraken with 40 goals and 70 points in 79 regular-season games. He's tallied one assist so far in the playoffs.

The Kraken won the contest 3-2 in overtime.