Seattle Kraken vs. Colorado Avalanche Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 22nd 2024

Stadium: Pepsi Center Denver
Logo Seattle Kraken
VS
Logo Colorado Avalanche
6
OPENER
-1.5
6o -108
CURRENT
-1.5 -119
+254
MONEYLINE
-290
2
SCORE
5

Preview and Prediction

The previous time the Seattle Kraken visited Colorado on November 5th, they had a record of 1-5-1 in their last seven games. Now, six weeks later, they find themselves in the same position.

Seattle will face off against the Avalanche on Sunday night, with a nearly identical streak of one win in six games (1-4-1). To make matters worse, they have a quick turnaround after losing 6-2 to Vegas the night before.

The Kraken recently acquired young winger Kaapo Kakko in a trade with the New York Rangers, hoping to boost their struggling offense. However, Kakko has yet to record a point in his first two games with the team and is still adjusting to playing on the opposite coast.

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With captain Jordan Eberle out due to surgery on his pelvis, Seattle has been lacking a strong presence in front of the net. General manager Ron Francis expressed the team's need for bigger bodies and believes Kakko can provide that.

Seattle, who lost 6-3 to Colorado in their last meeting, only has two players with more than 10 goals this season. In contrast, the Avalanche have two of the top three scorers in the league, with Nathan MacKinnon leading with 55 points and Mikko Rantanen close behind with 50 points.

Defenseman Cale Makar leads all defensemen in scoring with 42 points and has been a key contributor to Colorado's recent success. The team has won six of their last eight games and their special teams have been a major factor.

Since making changes to their goaltender position, the Avalanche have killed off 20 of 21 penalties and have only allowed nine goals in their six wins since the first trade. Coach Jared Bednar credits the new goaltenders for their improved penalty kill and overall performance.

Despite the tough situation and quick turnaround, Seattle will look to bounce back and end their losing streak against a strong Avalanche team.

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PREDICTION
Seattle Kraken
2
4
Colorado Avalanche

Seattle Kraken vs. Colorado Avalanche Recap MAR 5TH 2023

Artturi Lehkonen had a goal and an assist in his return to the lineup, Nathan MacKinnon had a career-high five assists and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Seattle Kraken 6-3 in Denver on Tuesday night.

Lehkonen missed the first 12 games of the season while rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery.

Mikko Rantanen had two goals, Nikolai Kovalenko had a goal and an assist, Ivan Ivan and Chris Wagner also scored and Justus Annunen turned away 17 shots for Colorado, which snapped a three-game skid.

Cale Makar had two assists for the Avalanche before leaving the game in the third period due to an undisclosed injury.

Matty Beniers and Jared McCann each had a goal and an assist, Jaden Schwartz also scored and Philipp Grubauer made 26 saves for the Kraken.

The Avalanche went ahead just 2:28 into the game when Wagner scored his first goal of the season off a pass from MacKinnon. Seattle tied the game at 12:58 when Beniers' pass to the front of the crease went off Schwartz's left skate and into the net.

It was his third marker of the season.

Colorado went back in front 1:14 later when Ivan cleaned up Kovalenko's shot for his third goal of the campaign.

The Kraken got even on the power play 23 seconds into the second period when the Avalanche turned the puck over and Chandler Stephenson passed it to McCann in the slot, and McCann beat Annunen through his pads.

It was his sixth goal of the season.

Lehkonen broke the tie at 6:44 when his blast from the slot trickled through Grubauer to make it 3-2, and Colorado extended the lead after a lengthy review.

Rantanen scored at 9:11 of the second, but Seattle challenged that Lehkonen was offsides. Lehkonen did enter the zone before the puck, but the review showed a shot by the Kraken sent the puck down the ice and negated offsides.

Grubauer came off for an extra skater and Beniers scored his third goal of 2024-25 at 17:31 of the third to make it 4-3. Seattle pulled Grubauer again, and Rantanen scored his sixth goal into an empty net.

Kovalenko scored his second goal of the season at 19:58.