The Colorado Avalanche are picking up steam and climbing the standings after a poor start to the season, and it doesn’t look like many teams can slow them down. On Sunday evening (Dec. 22), the visiting Seattle Kraken gave it a shot, but the Avalanche would have none of it, with Nathan MacKinnon and company skating to a 5-2 win. By “and company,” essentially Joel Kiviranta, who netted a trio of goals.
Put us on the nice list. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/6EtxUzfbMj
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 23, 2024
Cale Makar Gets the Party Started
The clubs tussled in a scoreless draw for about 10 minutes of the first period when the host Avalanche finally broke the ice. The Kraken’s Brandon Montour was serving time in the sin bin for tripping, which permitted the Avalanche’s seventh-best power play to go to work. And work they did, earning a 1-0 lead when Cale Maker skated with the puck near the blue line and found the perfect moment to send a wrist shot with heat through traffic.
Seattle was ready and willing to fight back, though. Late in the opening stanza, Shane Wright advanced with the rubber along the right boards and, after a little give-and-go between him and Yanni Gourde, Wright delivered a pass from behind the net to Jared McCann, who beat Mackenzie Blackwood from close range.
Avalanche Unafraid of Deficits
The visitors claimed a 2-1 lead 4:01 into the second period. None other than new acquisition Kaapo Kakko scored his first in Kraken colors when he rifled a shot from the circle moments after Matty Beniers won the faceoff in enemy territory.
However, the Avalanche are in a finite selection of teams against whom no lead is safe, not when they have the ultimate weapon in MacKinnon. Seattle’s advantage was so precious, it lasted only 11 seconds. Colorado won the faceoff, and the Nova Scotian bulldozed through the Kraken’s defense, forcing a save from Joey Daccord. Valeri Nichuskin snuck into the slot unnoticed and pounced on the rebound to level the terms.
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The hosts gave their supporters an extra reason to cheer at 12:01 when Kiviranta slapped home a one-timer via a two-on-one with Mikko Rantanen. That play had developed thanks to a sloppy bit of passing by Seattle way back in the Colorado end of the rink.
From that point onwards, the teams were engaged in a game of chess, with the Avalanche looking for ways to pad the advantage and the Kraken aspiring to strike back. But there were clear signs that Colorado is simply a different breed of hockey team, such as in the third period when they dominated a penalty-killing session by registering more shots on goal than their opponent.
Avalanche netminder Mackenzie Blackwood had busier days, as he faced only 19 shots, but executed some crucial third-period stops. One such moment was a Kakko backhand attempt in the crease with about six minutes remaining.
Whatever tension filled the air was extinguished when Kiviranta earned a brace and a hat trick via a couple of empty netters at 17:26 and 18:28. Fun fact: Kiviranta has seven goals this season and five have come against Seattle.
With that, the Avalanche go on Christmas break savoring a 5-2 win over the Kraken. They’ll be in action on Friday (Dec. 27) with a visit to the Utah Hockey Club. Seattle has an extra day off and will hit the ice on Saturday (Dec. 28) at Rogers Arena against the Vancouver Canucks.
