Fighting through the frozen frenzy: previewing the Kraken hosting the Avalanche

By Silvia Leija-Rosas, edited by Charles Hamaker

Seattle, WA - The ice at Climate Pledge Arena is Frozen and it’s gonna be Frenzy! The Seattle Kraken’s matchup against the Colorado Avalanche tonight has a puck drop time at 5:30PM PDT is one of 16 games airing for the NHL, as every team in the league is in action. The game will be available on ABC and ESPN, as well as on ESPN+ and Hulu. 

Our Seattle Kraken are third in the Pacific Division, and are looking to build momentum on their three-game win streak after a hard-fought overtime win on Saturday against the Calgary Flames in the second contest of the current five-game homestand. Things are really looking up for Seattle with captain Jordan Eberle on a point-per-game streak with seven points (5G-2A) in six games.  Jared McCann is also a bright spot for the team with a sweet 5 +/-. McCann has eight points across the season and is only a goal away from being the first Kraken player to score 100 goals. Seattle across the board has been able to distribute their scoring, with the sort of depth that we’ve seen before during their 2022-23 playoff season showing face somewhat during the current winning streak. While the winning ways are starting to form and the competitive spirit is apparent, there are clear areas of improvement being shown considering that defensive mistakes remain and the offensive effort can still be improved.

It seems like those days of doom-tweeting when Vince Dunn is out of the line up are behind us–which is good because the Kraken will be Vince Dunn-less on Vince Dunn bobblehead night. Puck moving defensemen Brandon Montour and Ryker Evans, among others, are there to pick up the slack with such fun, aggressive play that reminds us of why being a Seattle sports fan can be good! For the Dunn bobblehead, the first 10,000 fans into Climate Pledge Arena will take home the collectible of the defensemen. Seattle is 8-1 all-time when they are hosting a bobblehead night.

While the Colorado Avalanche are coming in on their own two-game win streak after a 4-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night, those are their only wins this season. Colorado has been on a bit of a struggle bus with their goaltending. The Avs are currently last in the league in goals-against and Alexandar Georgiev, tonight’s most-likely starter in net for Colorado, has a .813 save percentage, also the lowest in the league. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy path to victory for the Kraken. Superstar Nathan McKinnon and his 11 points this season (2G-9A) are still on the team and so is 12 point-Cale Makar (cue the boos). If the Kraken aren’t locked in, the Avs can and will take advantage. The Avalanche are a team that will look to be competitive throughout the course of the season, and despite the poor start the talent on the roster remains.

Players to watch

Jared McCann is so close to making Kraken history and wouldn’t it be so nice to see him hit 100 in front of Cale Makar? It’s just one of those things that the hockey gods seem to enjoy. Outside of that, McCann has kind of been on fire. He has three multi-point games and is using his two-way gifts to create chances. Another name to keep an eye on is centerman Chandler Stephenson. “Stevie” enters tonight’s game after opening the scoring with his first goal as a member of the Kraken in Seattle's game vs. Calgary on Oct. 19. His four points (1g/3a) are tied for third among all Kraken skaters and were recorded during his current three-game point streak. Stephenson joined the Kraken during free agency on July 1, 2024. The forward has 11 points (3g/8a) in 22 career games vs. Colorado. Hockey gods, please, think about the tweets we can post!

On the Avs, Ross Colton has scored six goals in the first six games, with the majority of them on the power play. Colton enters tonight’s game riding a three-game point and goal streak including two consecutive multi-goal games. He's tallied five points (4g/1a) in that span. Colton leads the Avalanche in goals (six), power-play goals (three), hits (20) and ranks fourth in points (seven). He has four points (3g/1a) in seven career games against Seattle. Again, if the Kraken give the Avs an inch they will take a high mile. 

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Check out our previous Seattle Kraken articles here.

Check out our previous articles written by Silvia Leija Rosas here, and follow her on Twitter here.

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Luchando contra el frenesí helado: vista previa del Kraken que alberga la Avalancha

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