2022-23 Season: Kraken VS Avalanche:
With the Kraken still being the baby team of the NHL, it’s fascinating that they were able to make the playoffs in their second year of being a franchise. Their hard work has certainly paid off, giving them a spot in this season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. For round one, they’ll face the Colorado Avalanche, with the first match of the series being tonight in Denver. Of the three matchups between the two teams this season, Seattle has won the only one that ended in regulation. They lost the second in a shootout and won the most recent one in overtime.
Key Topics to Note Going into Tonight:
With these two teams being the defending Cup champ and the newbie playoff team, there is no doubt that tonight’s game will be a hard fight on both ends. As well as winning the Stanley Cup last season, the Avalanche won the whole Central Division this year.
Phillip Grubauer was the Seattle goaltender in each of their matches against Colorado, and considering that he helped his team get at least a single point in each of those games, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in between the pipes tonight.
The Kraken’s top 2 players for this season on the ice have been Jared McCann and Vince Dunn. McCann leads in goals and points with 40 and 70 – his newest career highs. Dunn leads in assists and plus/minus ratings with 50 and +28, and he is second in points with 64. Jordan Eberle is just behind him with 63. Unsurprisingly, Yanni Gourde and Jaime Oleksiak lead the Kraken in Penalty Minutes with 76 and 72. Given that they are two of the team’s main “enforcers,” there is no doubt that they will be very physical and aggressive during playoffs.
