Hughes, Makar already big factors in second round matchup
Game 1 of the second-round series between the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild was as electric as could be, as the Avs won a barn-burner by a 9-6 margin to take a 1-0 series lead.
At the center of the excitement were the two best defensemen in the world in Colorado’s Cale Makar and Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes, who each put up three points and came up with multiple game-changing plays throughout the course of the game.
On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton were joined by former NHL video coach Steve Peters to discuss how the two best defensemen in the world made their presence felt in Game 1.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, two of the defining defensemen of their generation, and this is the first time we’re getting to see them go head-to-head in a playoff series. What did you make of maybe not so much what Hughes and Makar brought to the table, but how Colorado and Minnesota tried to shut them down, respectively?
Steve Peters: Yeah, it’s funny. I hear about that, ‘Well, get a body on Hughes, hit Hughes, take him out of the game, be physical.’ Dude, you don’t think he’s been playing like this since he was eight years old, people trying to hit him? Like, come on, every level of hockey it’s trying to hit him… There might not be a better player in this league, and I know the debate of Makar and Hughes will continue to rage, but the ability to change directions as quickly as he can on his edges, if he’s not the best player in the league at it, I don’t know who is. So that’s how he avoids those dangerous hits. He doesn’t put himself in those situations. Makar does, because Makar’s bigger, Makar’s stronger. He’s expected to hang in there on hits. He’s expected to be a guy that can play below the goal line. So I think you’re going to see Makar being involved more physically than you’re ever going to see Quinn Hughes, because of the different way they play. You cannot put a stick on Hughes, because he’s going to beat you. You just need to continue to keep your body between Quinn Hughes and the net. Do not try to go at him with your stick, because he’ll make you look silly. The same thing with Makar. I think you just need to keep those two players in front of you and try to limit their space and their input on the game, as much as you possibly can. And look, those two were the biggest factors in Game 1. You got two defensemen with three points each, putting on the kind of plays and display they put on. Anybody that doesn’t think Quinn Hughes is in the same universe as Makar is not watching these games… Those two are very, very similar, and if you had to start a franchise, I’m not sure who you’d pick. They just play a little bit differently. The key is not going to be to hit him and try to put him out of the series. The key is going to try to stay in front of them as best as you can and limit their output, because they’re still going to score. They’re still going to be a factor. You need to limit it as much as you possibly can.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…