The Colorado Avalanche had the future in their own hands and, in typical Colorado fashion, did not take such a position lightly. They beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 in their final game of the season to secure the top spot in the Central Division and officially match up against the Seattle Kraken for their first playoff series of the season.
So, the first place Avalanche are awarded home ice advantage, while the Kraken–who held the first wild card spot, but come from the Pacific Division–have to wait to go home for games three and four.
Needless to say, the Kraken have their work cut out for them taking on the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Here’s what to expect from the round one tilt between the Colorado Avalanche and the Seattle Kraken.
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Colorado Avalanche, Seattle Kraken: By the numbers
Of course, the most obvious statistic is that the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup last year, with an insane playoff record of 16-6. Meanwhile, this is the first time the Seattle Kraken will see postseason hockey in their short history.
After some early-season struggles, the Avalanche pulled it together and ended the regular season with 109 points. They also closed out with an 8-1-1 record in their final 10 games. It brought their season total to 51-24-7, and they ended with a goal differential of plus-54.
The Kraken, however, look to playoff hockey having finished with a 46-28-8 record, a -plus33 goal differential, and going 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. Inconsistencies in game play led them to a wild card spot, as they looked very close to a top three finish at some points.
But according to NHL.com, things with this playoff matchup may not be what they seem. “The Kraken won two of the three games between the teams this season, winning 3-2 on Oct. 21 in Colorado, losing 2-1 in a shootout on Jan. 21 in Seattle and winning 3-2 in overtime on March 5 in Colorado.”
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Colorado Avalance stars shine bright
Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar have carried this team to another superb season. That’s despite near-constant stream of injuries affecting their roster, including Makar going down for a time and missing captain Gabriel Landeskog for the entire season as well as the playoff run.
MacKinnon and Rantanen both reached the 100-point milestone for the first time in their respective careers. For his part, MacKinnon is chasing a playoff record currently held by fellow Nova Scotian Sidney Crosby. As the league saw last season, defending against Colorado’s superstars is not an easy task, and not many are up for the challenge.
Seattle, on the flip side, doesn’t have a single point-per-game player on the roster. Their leaders include Jared McCann (70 points), defenseman Vince Dunn (64 points) and forward Jordan Eberle (63 points). If they’re going to match Colorado’s dynamic offense, they need their leaders to have strong playoff campaigns.
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Key injuries for both the Seattle Kraken and Colorado Avalanche
For Seattle, the toughest blow came late in the season when Andre Burakovsky, who won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche last year, underwent surgery.
According to ESPN, the forward–who led the Kraken in points for a time–will miss the start of the postseason. Martin Jones is also out with a day-to-day injury, but the Kraken just may rely on another former Avalanche in the form of netminder Philipp Grubauer to take on the defending Stanley Cup champions in the first round.
It’s no secret that, on the Avalanche side, injuries have been a storyline for the entire season. Lineup questions still plague them heading into their playoff run. In addition to Landeskog’s injury, Andrew Cogliano, Josh Manson and Cale Makar are out for the Avalanche. Though, Makar is expected to return for the start of the NHL Playoffs. Cogliano and Manson were brought in at the trade deadline last season, and were instrumental in the club’s victory. Both are gritty players who offer a lot of skill in their own zone, and losing them may hurt the Avalanche.
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Colorado Avalanche, Seattle Kraken NHL Playoff history
The fact that the Avalanche are the defending champions looms in everyone’s mind. They’re in the postseason for the sixth straight campaign. Before winning the Stanley Cup, Colorado lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round the previous year. Seattle wasn’t even in the NHL when that happened.
It’s tough to analyze a team that has absolutely no playoff history, so the Kraken could very well be a bit of a wild card heading into a matchup they seem destined to lose. What to expect from them is anyone’s guess–and that could be their secret weapon.
Avalanche-Kraken prediction: Avalanche in 5.
The 2023 NHL Playoffs begin Monday, April 17.