Avs need to be more aggressive against bigger, harsher Sharks

The NHL education of Cale Makar is six games deep, and the Avalanche rookie defenseman is learning his first big lesson of the Stanley Cup playoffs. To sum it up in a single word: Physicality.

“You’ve just got to be prepared to be hit at all times,” Makar said.

And, in return, you must be capable of dishing out pain. That goes for the entire roster. Because if the Avalanche-Sharks series were a heavyweight bout, San Jose blows would have Colorado seeing stars. Avs coach Jared Bednar described his team’s play in a Game 3 loss as “cute” and “soft.” A mentality change is required for Colorado to even the series Thursday night at the Pepsi Center.

Easier said than done, though, considering San Jose’s ultra-aggressive approach.

“They always have numbers around the puck, so you’re dealing with more than one guy on most occasions when you find room offensively, and it’s the same thing on the defensive side,” Bednar said. “You do the right thing against one guy, and the next guy is right on top of you again. That time and space disappear. You have guys leaning on you all the time, and it gets harder and harder to handle it on this level — especially when you’re playing a team like the Sharks. That’s what they’re really good at.”

Teammate need look no further than Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov for a source of inspiration. His 11 hits on Tuesday night were the third most in Colorado postseason history. Zadorov’s relentless attack extended to his words, too, like a scuffle with Sharks forward Michael Haley in which Zadorov said he landed this verbal jab: “I told him, ‘You’re playing five minutes and I’m playing 20.’ ”

“Aggressive hitting, that’s my game,” Zadorov said. “There are no friends on the ice.”

Zadorov’s teammates can adapt his mind-set, even if they can’t replicate his towering 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame. So how can Colorado’s undersized players respond to San Jose’s pressure?

“You don’t need big hits to be physical,” Zadorov said. “You can be physical in the forecheck when you skate 50 miles per hour and with just a little push of the guy you can separate him from the puck. … To just kill somebody and everyone is cheering — nice. But the point of the hit is to get the puck back and play more offensive zone. That’s our goal. I don’t think we had that commitment (Tuesday) for 60 minutes.”

Makar, specifically, has flashed elite offensive skill. But he has also lost multiple net-front battles in which San Jose simply outtoughed the 20-year-old. Expect an aggression uptick as the series moves forward.

“He’s still trying to figure out what he can get away with in front of the net when he’s defending,” Bednar said. “We’re trying to give him as much advice there as we can, because he can get away with a lot this time of the year. That’s a little bit new to him, too, but I expect him to continue to make adjustments and get better.”