Dec 21, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) checks Seattle Kraken right wing Kaapo Kakko (84) during the third period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images The last time the Seattle Kraken came to Colorado on Nov. 5, they were 1-5-1 in their previous seven games. It’s six weeks later and they are in the same place.
Seattle heads to Denver on Sunday night on a nearly identical skid, one win in six games (1-4-1), and with another disadvantage — a quick turnaround.
The Kraken lost 6-2 at Vegas on Saturday night and have to lace up their skates less than 20 hours later. It’s a tough situation, especially for a struggling team, while trying to integrate a new forward into the system.
Seattle traded for young winger Kaapo Kakko this week to boost an offense that has scored just three goals during a four-game losing streak. Kakko, 23, was acquired from the New York Rangers and is still adjusting to playing on the opposite coast.
Kakko has four goals and 10 assists but has been without a point in his first two games with the Kraken. With the absence of captain Jordan Eberle, who has been out since having surgery on his pelvis in November, Seattle was lacking another big presence in front of the net.
“You’re always looking for bigger bodies that can get to the front,” Kraken general manager Ron Francis said after trading for Kakko. “We think when you go back in his draft year, there’s a reason why the Rangers took him at No. 2. He was a real good player at that point, and for whatever reason it just hasn’t panned out for him.”
Seattle, which lost 6-3 at Colorado on Nov. 5, has only two players with more than 10 goals — Jared McCann and Oliver Bjorkstrand, who both have 11.
The Avalanche don’t have the same issues as the Kraken. They have two of the top three scorers in the NHL. Nathan MacKinnon leads the league with 55 points (14 goals, 41 assists) and Mikko Rantanen is third with 50 points (19 goals, 31 assists), the only team in the league with two players with 50 or more points.
Cale Makar leads all defensemen in scoring with 42 points (10 goals, 32 assists) for Colorado, which has won six of its last eight.
The Avalanche special teams have been key to the recent surge. Colorado has killed off 20 of 21 penalties since shaking up their goaltender position. Scott Wedgewood was acquired from the Nashville Predators for Justus Annunen on Nov. 30, and Colorado traded Alexandar Georgiev to the San Jose Sharks for Mackenzie Blackwood on Dec. 9.
Colorado has allowed just nine goals in its six wins since the first trade and 16 total in eight games.
Coach Jared Bednar says the change in goaltenders has made a difference on special teams.
“When we made the goalie switches, you see where our penalty kill is going,” Bednar said. “The analytics have been good all year. I’m not putting it on our past goaltending, because that’s not fair, either, but goalies have their strengths and weaknesses, and it seems like we’ve got a couple guys here now that are really in tune with our penalty kill.
“We’re getting the saves we need. We’re getting the whistles we need. They’ve just been really sharp.”
–Field Level Media
