The Colorado Avalanche are looking to make a crack at their next line of opposition.
The Avs open a two-game road trip Thursday against the Seattle Kraken looking to rebound after a narrow 4–3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers earlier this week. It will be the second of three meetings between the teams this season. Colorado won the first matchup 5–3 in Seattle on December 16, and the series will conclude April 16 at Ball Arena.
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Colorado’s loss Tuesday at Ball Arena came in a game that featured momentum swings and several special-teams moments. Ross Colton opened the scoring just 32 seconds into the first period, wiring a shot from the point through traffic for his eighth goal of the season. The assist on the play gave Brock Nelson the 500th even-strength point of his NHL career.
Edmonton answered midway through the period when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins converted a power-play opportunity from the crease. Colorado regained the lead later in the opening frame when Martin Necas scored on the power play from the left circle, setting a single-season career high with his 29th goal of the year.
The lead was short-lived. Jack Roslovic tied the game late in the first before Nugent-Hopkins added his second of the night early in the second period to give Edmonton its first lead.
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Colorado pulled even early in the third when Valeri Nichushkin redirected a right-point shot from Sam Malinski for his 14th goal of the season. But Edmonton’s star power ultimately decided the game. Connor McDavid buried a power-play one-timer from the doorstep at 9:03 of the third period, providing the eventual game-winner.
Despite the loss, Colorado continues to be powered offensively by Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 43 goals and ranks among the league leaders with 104 points and 61 assists. MacKinnon’s impact has been even more pronounced at even strength; since the start of the 2023–24 season, he has recorded an NHL-best 250 points in five-on-five situations.
The Avalanche blue line has been equally productive thanks to Cale Makar, who remains one of the league’s most dynamic defensemen. Makar sits among the top scoring defensemen in the NHL with 66 points while adding 19 goals and 47 assists.
Necas has also been a key contributor during Colorado’s recent stretch. His seven goals since February 25 are tied for the most in the league over that span, helping propel him into the NHL’s top ten in scoring with 77 points.
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Seattle enters Thursday’s matchup after a 4–2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday at Climate Pledge Arena. The Kraken jumped out to a 2–0 first-period lead on goals from Kaapo Kakko and Matty Beniers, but Nashville responded with three unanswered goals in the second period before Steven Stamkos sealed the game with an empty-net tally late in the third.
Offensively, Seattle is led by veteran forward Jordan Eberle, whose 22 goals and 44 points pace the club. Defenseman Vince Dunn leads the team with 29 assists, while Beniers ranks second in scoring with 40 points.
Historically, Colorado has enjoyed success in the matchup. The Avalanche hold a 9-3-1 record in 13 regular-season meetings against the Kraken and have also faced Seattle once in the postseason.
The matchup has also been productive for several of Colorado’s stars. MacKinnon has recorded 19 points in 12 regular-season games against Seattle and added seven more in the playoffs, while Makar has contributed 19 regular-season points against the Kraken along with five in six postseason contests. Necas has chipped in 11 points in nine career games against Seattle.
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Defensively, Colorado has been particularly strong away from home this season. The Avalanche are allowing just 2.55 goals per game on the road, tied for the lowest mark in the NHL.
Even in Tuesday’s loss, the Avalanche believed their process was largely sound.
“I thought everybody had good legs tonight,” Makar said afterward. “I thought we had overall good forechecks. We struggled on the breakout a little bit early, but we were able to figure it out. I felt like we had some good chances but just didn’t finish sometimes.”
Colorado will look to convert more of those chances Thursday night as it continues its push through the final stretch of the regular season.
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