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It’s not enough that the Colorado Avalanche have won four straight first-round series. They’ve been so strong in the first round that they swept their past two first-round series and only had two first-round losses in four years, with their last one coming after the 2019-20 season.

Then came the upstart Seattle Kraken. Beating the defending Stanley Cup champions in Game 1 was just the start. On Monday, the Kraken jumped out to a two-goal lead and held on for a 3-2 overtime win against the Avalanche in a series-tying victory that saw them lose leading scorer Jared McCann for at least Game 5 after what Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said was “a late hit” from Avs defenseman Cale Makar.

On Tuesday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Makar would be suspended for Game 5. In its ruling, the department stated, “The result of this play is a body check to a vulnerable player who is not eligible to be hit that causes an injury.”

As it stands, the Avs are two wins away from extending their title defense into at least the second round. The Kraken are two wins from their first playoff-series victory less than a year after they were a lottery team. Here are the keys for Game 5 on Thursday night in Denver (9:30 ET, ESPN):

What Makar’s suspension means for the Avs

Makar’s suspension leaves the Avalanche without a top-pairing defenseman who serves in a number of critical roles. Even though injuries limited him to 66 points in 60 games, this season saw Makar become the type of complete defensemen the Avalanche used in every sequence ranging from 5-on-5 to facilitating the first-team power play to being trusted as a penalty killer.

The reigning Conn Smythe and Norris Trophy winner led the NHL with 26:22 in average ice time and is 11th in the playoffs with 25:14. His ice time is nearly two minutes more than the next Avs defenseman Devon Toews, who is averaging 23:17 during the postseason.

During the regular season, Makar was partnered with Toews. In the playoffs, the decision was made to play him alongside Bowen Byram. Together, they provide the Avalanche with a top defensive pairing that’s designed to control possession, facilitate play and provide two-way stability.

Who replaces Makar for Game 5? Avalanche coach Jared Bednar could go in a number of directions. He could opt to use either Samuel Girard or Toews alongside Byram on the first pairing.

Byram and Toews have played nearly 85 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time together this season, according to Natural Stat Trick. It’s a contrast to the time Byram and Girard have spent together, which amounts to nearly 300 minutes in 5-on-5 ice time this season.

In terms of the power play, it’s also possible Bednar could either use Byram or Toews to replace Makar on the first unit. If so, it would leave Bednar seeking a fill-in for Byram or Toews on the second unit, which would then see the Avs go from having three defensemen on their second unit to possibly having two defensemen with three forwards.

Then there’s what it means for the penalty kill. Makar has worked in tandem with Toews to lead the Avalanche in short-handed minutes entering Game 5. Erik Johnson is third, followed by Girard, Byram and Josh Manson.

Regardless of the configuration, it leaves Bednar with Byram, Girard, Johnson, Manson and Toews with the need to find a sixth defenseman. It’s possible the Avs could turn to veteran defenseman Jack Johnson, who played 83 games this season between the Avs and the Chicago Blackhawks. Jack Johnson has been listed as day-to-day and hasn’t yet featured in these playoffs.

A life and depth situation

Let’s start with the Avalanche. Take a glance at who has been scoring their goals: their top two lines. Ten of Colorado’s 12 goals scored through Game 4 have come from its top two lines, with the remaining goals coming from Toews and Makar.

What happened during the two games in Seattle was a microcosm of the Avalanche’s current dilemma. J.T. Compher, Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon and Makar scored all six goals in a 6-4 win in Game 3, with Rantanen scoring both goals in the Game 4 loss.

So what’s been the discussion within the Avalanche about trying to receive more contributions from different portions of the lineup?

“We got to find ways to score dirty goals,” veteran Avs forward Andrew Cogliano said. “Our depth guys have got to get going in terms of providing some offense and providing some goals in front of their net and creating opportunities. At the end of the day, that’s probably the difference right now.”

Cogliano may have a point when comparing the Avalanche’s situation to the Kraken.

Depth has been among the many items the Kraken have used throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. Of the Kraken’s 12 goals, only two of them can be attributed to their top line, while their second defensive pairing of Will Borgen and Jamie Oleksiak have combined to score two goals.

Borgen opened Game 4 with a goal, followed by Daniel Sprong, who also scored his first to give the Kraken a two-goal lead after the first period. And in overtime, it was Eberle who scored the game-winner.

So the Kraken received goals from Borgen and a fourth-line winger in Sprong before top-line winger Eberle scored the series-tying goal in sudden death. That kind of depth is one reason the Kraken have scored the first goal in each game of the series.

“At the end of the day, we have to stick to our identity, which is depth,” Eberle said. “We play quick and we win by committee.”

Managing without McCann

Hakstol said McCann would miss Game 5 and possibly even more games because of the injury he suffered from the Makar hit. His absence means the Kraken will have to find a way to win in Denver without a 40-goal scorer whose 67 goals over the last two years are more than what Sidney Crosby, Zach Hyman and Brady Tkachuk, among others, have scored in the same span.

McCann, who had yet to score in the playoffs, was replaced by Ryan Donato on the Kraken’s top line alongside Matty Beniers and Eberle. Natural Stat Trick’s data shows that Donato logged more than nine minutes in 5-on-5 ice time with Beniers and Eberle, which made them the second-most used combination in those sequences.

Donato, who had been averaging less than seven minutes in the first three games, received more than 16 minutes in ice time while finishing with five shots, which was the second most on the Kraken behind Jaden Schwartz‘s 11 shots.

“We need more out of everybody in our lineup,” Hakstol said. “You don’t expect it to be in that scenario, but we always know that Donny is ready to play. … He stepped in and I thought he did a nice job.”

Finding ways to beat the Kraken’s forecheck

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Kraken top the Avs in OT for first home playoff win

Jordan Eberle nets the game-winning goal in overtime to even the series and give the Kraken their first postseason win at home.

There was a moment in the second period when the Avalanche won a faceoff, the puck made its way to Makar and he was instantly pressured by Donato into a pass before the Kraken forced a turnover.

And then, less than two minutes later, Rantanen had possession but was bumped and pushed off the puck by Borgen.

The Kraken’s forecheck was unforgivingly effective in Game 4. It was the sort of scripted defensive performance that saw them remain aggressive, pressuring the puck in a way that saw two, if not three, skaters attack at once while also forcing turnovers.

It amounted to the Kraken blocking 26 shots, recording 52 hits and limiting the Avs to just 16 shots in 5-on-5 play, which was both the fewest in the series and tied for the third fewest in a game this season.

“They have a forecheck, they hit the red [line], they dump it in almost every time,” Avs forward Evan Rodrigues said of the Kraken’s forecheck. “There’s things to do to get around that and to beat that aggression. I think we have to get to doing those things.”

Bednar was asked after Game 3 about the type of tactical challenges the Kraken’s forecheck provides. He said going back and working hard to get pucks first is a priority — an item he said the Avs struggled with at times in their first two games.

“That next play can’t be a soft play. Not against these guys,” Bednar said. “They’re going to get on top of you quickly and you got to find a way to make sure you’re getting pucks above their forecheck and to be able to create any sort of rush attack, you got to be able to get out of your zone clean.”

In Game 3, that forecheck allowed the Kraken to score two goals within a minute to tie the game at 3-3 in the second period.

In Game 4, the Kraken’s structure limited the Avs’ puck movement and scoring chances, such that they finished with just six high-danger scoring chances in 5-on-5 play, according to Natural Stat Trick.

“Arguably, they have one of the best D corps as far as mobility back there in the league,” Eberle said. “They’re not an easy group to forecheck. They can move, they can shimmy shake you, they’re jumping in everywhere. I think we did a pretty good job of containing them.

“Obviously, they’re going to get chances. They’re the defending Cup champions for a reason. But if we can limit their time and space as much as we can and get there before they can move and stay above them when they are trying to jump up? I think for the most part, we did a good job with that.”

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Scheifele plays, scores hours after losing father

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Scheifele plays, scores hours after losing father

DALLAS — Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele scored a goal in his club’s must-win Game 6 of the second-round playoff series at Dallas on Saturday night, hours after the unexpected death of his father.

But he also had the penalty that set up the Stars’ power-play goal in overtime for a 2-1 win that knocked the top-ranked Jets out of the playoffs.

Jets captain Adam Lowry went and got Scheifele out of the box when the game ended.

“We’re a family. Just to let him know that we’re there for him. It’s just an awful day for him,” Lowry said. “You want to give him the strength, you want to get that kill so bad. We just couldn’t do it.”

During the handshake line afterward, Scheifele hugged and talked to just about everyone, with Stars players clearly offering their support to him in a heartwarming moment.

Scheifele scored his fifth goal of the playoffs 5½ minutes into the second period to give the Jets a 1-0 lead. He scored on a short snap shot from just outside the crease after gathering the rebound of a shot by Kyle Connor.

“I just I know we have a great group here. I knew, going in, once we found out the news that he’s going to have a great support group and we’re going to be there for him through the highs and the lows and obviously today was a real low,” defenseman Neal Pionk said of Scheifele. “[We] did everything we could to give him some words of encouragement, [and] for him to play tonight, and play the way he did, is flat out one of the most courageous things we’ve ever seen.”

The game was tied at 1 when Sam Steel, who had already scored for Dallas, was on a break. Scheifele lunged forward desperately trying to make a play when he tripped up the forward at the blue line with 14.8 seconds in regulation. Scheifele and the Jets avoided a penalty shot on the play, but ended up losing on the power play when Thomas Harley scored 1:33 into overtime.

Jets coach Scott Arniel said the news of Brad Scheifele’s passing overnight was difficult for the entire team. The team was told before the optional morning skate.

“On behalf of the Winnipeg Jets family, our condolences to Mark and his family. It rocked us all this morning when we found out,” Arniel said before the game. “Mark will be playing tonight. As he said, that’d be the wishes of his dad. He would have wanted him to play.”

Scheifele was the last Jets player to leave the ice following pregame warmups, and during at least part of the singing of “O Canada,” he had his head bowed and his eyes closed. He took the opening faceoff against Roope Hintz.

“The thing about Mr. Scheifele is he’s part of our family. He’s part of the Jets family. He goes back to 2011 when Mark was first drafted here,” Arniel said. “We have a lot of players that came in around the time that are still here that he’s been a big part of their life, along with their family. So it’s certainly, obviously devastating for Mark, but also for a lot of guys on this team.”

Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said the organization was doing everything it can to support Scheifele. There was no immediate word on the cause of Brad Scheifele’s death.

The 32-year-old Mark Scheifele finished with 11 points (five goals, six assists) while playing in 11 of the Jets’ 13 games this postseason. He missed Games 6 and 7 of the first-round series against St. Louis with an undisclosed injury after taking a pair of big hits early in Game 5 of that series.

In Game 5 against the Stars on Thursday night, a 4-0 win by Winnipeg that extended the series, Scheifele was sucker-punched by Stars captain Jamie Benn during a late scrum. Benn got a game misconduct penalty and was fined by the NHL the maximum-allowed $5,000 but avoided a suspension.

Scheifele had 87 points (39 goals and 48 assists) in the 82 regular-season games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Stars win, oust Presidents’ Trophy-winning Jets

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Stars win, oust Presidents' Trophy-winning Jets

DALLAS — Thomas Harley scored on a power play 1:33 into overtime and the Dallas Stars advanced to the Western Conference final for the third season in a row, beating the top-seeded Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in Game 6 on Saturday night.

Mark Scheifele scored for the Jets hours after the unexpected death of his father, but also had a tripping penalty with 14.8 seconds left in regulation that set up Dallas to start overtime with a man advantage.

Sam Steel, who had scored earlier for Dallas, was on a break when Scheifele lunged forward desperately trying to make a play when he tripped up the forward at the blue line. The Stars called a timeout, but missed a shot and had another one blocked before the end of regulation.

The Stars move on to face the Edmonton Oilers in the West final for the second year in a row and will host Game 1. Connor McDavid and his club, which won in six games last year, wrapped up their second-round series with a 1-0 overtime win over Vegas on Wednesday night in Game 5.

Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger made 22 saves to wrap up his sixth playoff series win over the past three seasons. He made an incredible diving save with 8½ minutes left in regulation, leaning to the right before having to lunge back across his body toward the left post to knock down a shot by Mason Appleton.

Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots but couldn’t prevent a loss that assured a winless record for his club on the road this postseason. Meanwhile, his final goal allowed continued a magical season for Harley, Dallas’ breakout blueliner who also played for Team Canada this season in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“Not surprising to the guys in here,” Oettinger said of Harley’s rise to prominence. “We’re very lucky.”

Steel notched his first goal of the playoffs midway through the second period. He shot a long rebound from the top of the right circle, sending the puck into the upper right corner of the net just above Hellebuyck’s glove.

“I’m just disappointed,” Winnipeg captain Adam Lowry said. “We couldn’t get that [penalty] kill for [the fans], and get it back to win in Winnipeg for Game 7. But you know, [I’m] really proud of this group, and the way they handled everything, and the way we fought back. … It just came up short.”

The Jets become the next in a long line of Presidents’ Trophy winners to bow out early. The award, which goes to the NHL’s top regular-season team, was won by the New York Rangers last season before they lost in the Eastern Conference final. Two years ago, the No. 1 seed Boston Bruins lost in the first round to the Florida Panthers.

“We lost to a great team,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “We lost to a team that was in our rearview mirror all year long.”

Scheifele’s effort was a focus for Dallas coach Pete DeBoer, who began his postgame media availability by saying what the Jets star forward did in playing Saturday was “courageous,” adding “I’m sure his dad would’ve been really proud of him and what he did.”

For the Stars, it’s off to the NHL’s final four, as the franchise continues to seek its second Stanley Cup title.

“I think we’ve got something special going on. We’re going to have to prove it again,” DeBoer said. “You know, we’ve been to this spot the last two years and haven’t taken the next step, so that’s the challenge.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Eichel, Knights seek ‘common ground’ on new deal

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Eichel, Knights seek 'common ground' on new deal

As the Vegas Golden Knights absorb being knocked out in the second round of the NHL playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers, they don’t have to wait long before planning for their future. Jack Eichel, who has one season left on his eight-year, $80 million contract, is eligible for an extension beginning July 1.

“He’s one of the top guys in the NHL,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “He’s got great character, great leadership. You see night in, night out what he does for our team, so that will be a really important piece of business for us. We certainly hope to keep Jack in our organization. Jack loves it here, so I would hope we could find common ground.”

Eichel, 28, comes off the best season of his 10-year career, the past four with the Golden Knights. He set career highs with 66 assists and 94 points to go with 28 goals as the center on the team’s top line. He also skated for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off, where his club finished second to Canada.

“Can’t say enough about my teammates and the people in this building and the people that make this organization what it is,” Eichel said. “I’m super proud to be part of this organization and the city and represent the Vegas Golden Knights. Contractually, I think things kind of take care of itself. I’ll just worry about trying to prepare for next season this offseason and go from there.”

Management, which is not known for sitting on its hands, will have other significant decisions to make as well on the team’s direction after the Golden Knights were eliminated in the second round for the second year in a row.

“I like our team,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I don’t have a problem with any player in that room. I think every one of them is a great teammate. They care about one another. Are there areas of our game we could complement better? Probably. We’ll evaluate that.

“All the guys that were up, their contracts, they were all good players for us. All good players. No disappointments at all. We’ll probably have to look at areas because we’re not the last team standing. Usually, you think, ‘Where can we upgrade? Where can I upgrade what I do?'”

McCrimmon offered a similar assessment.

“I feel our team was good enough to win,” McCrimmon said.

The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup two years ago and thought they had another contender this season after capturing the Pacific Division and securing the Western Conference’s second-best record. But Vegas had to rally from a 2-1 series deficit to beat Minnesota in the opening round, winning twice in overtime. Then the Golden Knights lost two overtime games in the 4-1 series loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

“I didn’t walk away from Edmonton saying, ‘We had no chance. They’re just better,'” Cassidy said. “I didn’t feel that way. I felt we needed to execute better in a few of the games and we could be the team moving on.”

Forward William Karlsson said losing to the Oilers made it “a wasted season.” McCrimmon wasn’t as blunt, instead labeling the loss as “a missed opportunity.”

Change will come, but at least given the tenor of the comments by Cassidy and McCrimmon, the Golden Knights will largely return their roster intact next season.

“I think we have a great organization,” goaltender Adin Hill said. “Best management I’ve been under. I think they’re going to do the things that they see fit for [the] roster, whether it’s keeping it the same or whether it’s changing up a few things. I don’t know. That’s their decision, above my paygrade, but it will be exciting to see. We know that we’re going to be contenders every year.”

Forward Reilly Smith made it clear he wants to return. An original Golden Knight, Smith was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins after winning the Stanley Cup and then sent to the New York Rangers a year later. The Golden Knights reacquired the 34-year-old on March 6.

Smith made a smooth transition back into the lineup with three goals and eight assists in 21 games. Then he delivered the play of the postseason for the Golden Knights, scoring with 0.4 seconds left to beat the Oilers in Game 3, and finished with three goals and an assist in 11 playoff games.

“Probably the best hockey I’ve played in my career has been wearing this jersey,” Smith said. “It’s a fun group to be a part of and a fun place to call home. My family loves it here, so if there’s a way to make it work, it’d be great. At the end of the day, it’s a business. My contract negotiations, I probably know as little as [the media does] right now.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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