The Islanders got themselves out of being shorthanded thanks to a sudden attack of conscience by their opponent.
Late in the first period of a scoreless game in Colorado, Mathew Barzal chased down Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar behind the net, and as he made is turn, Makar fell to the ice with Barzal close behind. The official nearby raised his hand to indicate a penalty, and immediately, Makar raised his hand as well and skated toward the official.
After a conversation, the official went to center ice and announced that there was no penalty call, and Barzal would not be going to the box.
Turns out, Makar admitted that he wasn’t tripped by Barzal, and that he had in fact just lost his edge and wiped out on his own.
Of course, Makar could have just kept his mouth shut and gladly taken the power play, but honesty took center stage.
“I just felt like it was a real obvious one,” Makar said after the game, via Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Gazette. “Honestly, looking back at it, I don’t know why I did it.”
The Avalanche wound up getting two points in a 1-0 shootout victory, but perhaps Makar’s honesty helped New York steal a point on the road, as the scoreless tie remained through regulation, but who knows if the defending champs would have netted a goal on the power play that never was?
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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