Colorado Avalanche superstar defenseman Cale Makar opened up about facing his former teammate Mikko Rantanen during their first-round series of the 2025 NHL playoffs against the Dallas Stars.
In an interview with FanSided’s NHL Director Steph Driver, Makar discussed facing Rantanen during the postseason and what adjustments he and the Avalanche could to contain his scoring skills.
Makar stated:
"It’ll be different, but I don’t think there’s too much different that you can do. Hockey’s not like basketball where you can kind of key in on one guy."
The comments point toward Cale Makar and the Avalanche sticking to their game plan, one that’s been successful for them throughout the season. As for containing Rantanen, so far, it’s worked.
In two games this postseason, Rantanen has not figured on the scoresheet. He’s registered six shots on goal and has a minus-3 rating. While the plan to mitigate Rantanen’s influence on the ice has worked so far, it’s worth pointing out that Rantanen can bust out at any time.
As such, Makar concluded his thoughts, stating:
"So, Mikko is a playoff player and he’s going play really well, so we’ll have to find ways to mitigate that."
Check out the full interview here:
The Avalanche will need to mitigate as much as they can in Game 3 against the Stars on Wednesday night. The Stars pulled off an exciting 4-3 OT win on Monday night, salvaging a tie at home.
Now, with the series tied at 1-1, both clubs will be playing desperate hockey to get that all-important 2-1 series lead.
Cale Makar stars in major campaign for NHL partner Great Clips
Cale Makar recently appeared in a major advertising campaign for the NHL’s Official Hair Salon, Great Clips.
Great Clips is giving fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win a trip and tickets to a 2025 Stanley Cup Final game through the Great Clips app.
From April 16 through May 19, fans can enter the “Check-In to Win Sweepstakes” by downloading and checking in on the Great Clips app.
One lucky fan and a guest will win tickets to a Stanley Cup Final game, along with airfare and hotel accommodations.
Ten additional fans will receive a $100 USD Great Clips gift card (or $100 in CAD) and a $100 USD NHLShop.com gift card (or $100 in CAD).
Check out Makar’s performance here:
In addition to Cale Makar, Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk also appears in the campaign, hinting that the two young stars could meet in the Stanley Cup Final. While that Cup Final would be something of a dream come true for fans, there’s still plenty of hockey to go before the two stars square off for the 2025 Stanley Cup.