Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar of Calgary, Alberta was named the NHL First Star of the Month for October according to TSN on Tuesday. Makar had a spectacular first month of the season offensively. In only 11 games, he had four goals and 15 assists for 19 points.
Also in the first month, Makar had nine power-play points, one game-winning goal, 32 shots on goal, 11 hits, and 14 blocked shots. Makar’s game-winning goal came on October 24 in a 5-1 Avalanche win over the Utah Ice Hockey Club. Makar scored from Mikko Rantanen and Nikolai Kovalenko at 18:20 of the first period, which gave Colorado a 2-0 lead at the time. Makar led the NHL in October in assists, power play assists (eight), and power play points.
Makar had two three-point games. He had one goal and two assists for Colorado in a 5-3 Avalanche loss to the Boston Bruins on October 16, and one goal and two assists for three points for Colorado in a 4-1 Avalanche win over the San Jose Sharks on October 20.
However, even though Makar was strong offensively, he did have a good month defensively. He was a -7, and his current plus/minus rating is a -8. It is tied for the worst on the Avalanche alongside Casey Mittelstadt, and defenseman Josh Manson.
