SEATTLE KRAKEN NOTES:
CURRENT INJURIES (MAN GAMES LOST: 0)
JOONAS DONSKOI (upper body; IR) | 0 games | no timeline for return
ANDRE BURAKOVSKY (lower body; IR) | 0 games | week-to-week
JOHN HAYDEN (lower body; IR) | 0 games | week-to-week
DANIEL SPRONG (undisclosed) | 0 games | day-to-day
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
April 10, 2023: Signed F David Goyette to a three-year, entry-level
contract; Reassigned F Shane Wright to Coachella Valley (AHL)
April 11, 2023: Signed F Logan Morrison to a three-year, entry-level contract
April 17, 2023: Recalled F Tye Kartye from Coachella Valley (AHL)
UPCOMING GAMES
April 20, 2023: Seattle Kraken at Colorado Avalanche, 6:30 p.m. PT
April 22, 2023: Colorado Avalanche at Seattle Kraken, 7 p.m. PT
April 24, 2023: Colorado Avalanche at Seattle Kraken, 7 p.m. PT
April 26, 2023: Seattle Kraken at Colorado Avalanche*
April 28, 2023: Colorado Avalanche at Seattle Kraken*
April 30, 2023: Seattle Kraken at Colorado Avalanche*
*if necessary
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• Tonight’s game is Seattle’s first Stanley Cup Playoff game in franchise history.
• If the Kraken were to win tonight, they would become the 13th expansion franchise in NHL history to win their first-ever playoff game. They would also be just the seventh team to do so while playing their first playoff game on the road according to NHL Stats.
• 2023 marks the first trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs for five Kraken players: Matty Beniers, Will Borgen, Cale Fleury, Jesper Froden and Jaycob Megna.
• The Kraken’s American Hockey League (AHL) and East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) affiliates also made the playoffs in their respective leagues this year. The Kraken are one of ten NHL organizations to qualify for the postseason at the NHL, AHL and ECHL levels, with the others being Boston, Colorado, Dallas, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, New Jersey, NY Rangers and Toronto.
— The Coachella Valley Firebirds will face off against the Tucson Roadrunners in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The three-game series is set to begin on April 19.
— The Kansas City Mavericks playoff run will also begin on April 19 when they take on the Allen Americans in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
— Stat courtesy of Patrick Williams who covers the AHL for NHL.com and TheAHL.com.
• Seattle owned a 13-4-6 record against the Central Division during the 2022-23 regular season.
• Nine veteran skaters set or tied their career highs in goals, assists and points during the 2022-23 regular season: Borgen, Dunn, Geekie,
Larsson, McCann, Oleksiak, Sprong, Tanev and Tolvanen.
SECOND TIME AROUND
• The Kraken concluded the 2022-23 regular season as one of the best, and most improved, second-year expansion teams in NHL history, dating back to the Original Six era (1967-68). No second-year expansion team had more wins or points than Seattle’s 46 and 100, respectively.
• The team’s 19-win and 40-point improvement both also set records for the greatest improvement from year one to year two for an expansion team since the Original Six era.
• Seattle’s leap from 2021-22 to 2022-23 not only set records for an expansion franchise but was one of the best year-over-year improvements in the NHL from last season to this season. Only the New Jersey Devils made a bigger jump from 2021-22 to 2022-23, winning 25 more games and earning 49 more points.
• After finishing their inaugural season with the third-worst record in the NHL standings, the Kraken concluded the 2022-23 regular-season with the 12th-best record in the league, catapulting 18 spots up in the standings. Only New Jersey (plus-25) made a bigger leap in the overall
standings from last year to this year.
REGULAR SEASON REFRESH
• The Kraken earned a point in each of the regular-season games they played against the Avalanche in 2022-23, posting a 2-0-1 record in three games. The five points Seattle earned against Colorado this year were the most any NHL team earned against the Avalanche this season.
— Seattle was one of nine teams without a regulation loss against Colorado this season, with the others being Boston, Edmonton, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Toronto.
— The Avalanche are also one of six teams the Kraken did not record a regulation loss to this year, the others being Arizona, Buffalo, Columbus, Detroit, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
• Each of the three games the Kraken and Avalanche played against each other this season was decided by a one-goal margin. Seattle defeated Colorado 3-2 in regulation on Nov. 21, fell in the shootout 2-1 on Jan. 21 and won in overtime 3-2 on March 5.
• The Kraken won both games that they played in Colorado this season, going a perfect 2-for-2 when playing the Avalanche on the road. Seattle and Los Angeles are the only two teams this year to win two games at Ball Arena.
• Seattle went a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill against Colorado this season. The Avalanche are one of eight teams that the Kraken did not surrender a power-play goal to this year, with the others being Arizona, Boston, Detroit, Montreal, Nashville, NY Islanders and Pittsburgh.
• Jaden Schwartz was the Kraken’s leading scorer against the Avalanche this season, totaling four points (one goal, three assists) in two games.
• Each of the Kraken’s seven goals against the Avalanche this season were scored by different skaters: Ryan Donato, Yanni Gourde, Karson Kuhlman, Jared McCann, Schwartz, Brandon Tanev and Alex Wennberg.
• Philipp Grubauer started all three games the Kraken played against the Avalanche during the regular season – posting a 1.70 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.
COLORADO AVALANCHE NOTES:
FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE
Date Time (MT) Location TV Radio
Tuesday, April 18 8 p.m. Seattle at Colorado Altitude, ESPN, SN360, TVAS 92.5 FM
Thursday, April 20 7:30 p.m. Seattle at Colorado Altitude, ESPN, SN360, FX, TVAS 92.5 FM
Saturday, April 22 8 p.m. Colorado at Seattle Altitude, TBS, SN360, TVAS 92.5 FM
Monday, April 24 8 p.m. Colorado at Seattle Altitude, TBS, SN360, TVAS 92.5 FM
*Wednesday, April 26 TBD Seattle at Colorado TBD
*Friday, April 28 TBD Colorado at Seattle TBD
*Sunday, April 30 TBD Seattle at Colorado TBD
TONIGHT’S GAME
GAME 1 – FIRST ROUND SERIES
COLORADO AVALANCHE vs. SEATTLE KRAKEN
8:20 p.m. – Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Altitude, ESPN, SN360, TVAS / 92.5 FM
The Colorado Avalanche opens the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight against the Seattle Kraken in Game 1 of the First Round series at Ball Arena … The Avalanche are the Central Division champions while Seattle enters its first postseason as the top wild card in the Western Conference … The Avs are the defending Stanley Cup champions as they earned their third championship last spring … Colorado claimed its title by going 16-4 in the postseason, the sixth team to win a Cup with four or fewer postseason losses since 1987 when the NHL went to four rounds of best-of-seven … This is the first-ever playoff matchup between Colorado and Seattle, which leaves Winnipeg as the only Western Conference team who has never faced the Avalanche in the postseason … This is the fifth all-time playoff series between an NHL franchise making their postseason debut and a reigning champion, following the 2009 Conference Quarterfinals (CBJ vs. DET), 1983 Division Semifinals (WSH vs. NYI), 1980 Preliminary Round (HFD vs. MTL) and 1929 Quarterfinals (NYA vs. NYR) … Colorado finished the 2022-23 regular season 16-2-1 in its last 19 games, 23-5-2 in its last 30 contests and 31-7-4 in its last 42 games.
FIRST ROUND OPPONENT – SEATTLE KRAKEN
This marks the first-ever playoff meeting between the Colorado Avalanche and Seattle Kraken … That leaves Winnipeg as the only Western Conference team who has never faced the Avalanche in the postseason … The Avs finished 1-1-1 against the Kraken during the 2022-23 regular season, with all three matchups decided by one goal (two went to overtime) … The Avs finished 2-1-0 against Seattle during the Kraken’s inaugural season in 2021-22 … This is the fifth all-time playoff series between an NHL franchise making their postseason debut and a reigning champion, following the 2009 Conference Quarterfinals (CBJ vs. DET), 1983 Division Semifinals (WSH vs. NYI), 1980 Preliminary Round (HFD vs. MTL) and 1929 Quarterfinals (NYA vs. NYR).
REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE vs. KRAKEN
Oct. 21 vs. SEATTLE (L, 2-3)
Jan. 21 @ Seattle (W, 2-1 SO)
Mar. 5 vs. SEATTLE (O, 2-3)
RECORD vs. KRAKEN
THIS SEASON 2021-22 ALL-TIME PLAYOFFS
Overall: 1-1-1 Overall: 2-1-0 Overall: 3-2-1 Series: none
Home: 0-1-1 Home: 1-0-0 Home: 1-1-1 W-L record: 0-0
Road: 1-0-0 Road: 1-1-0 Road: 2-1-0
PLAYOFF NOTES
PLAYOFF BOUND
The Avalanche are in the postseason for the sixth consecutive year, tied for the third-longest active streak in the NHL … The Avs are appearing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 19th time since relocating to Denver and 28th time in franchise history.
ACTIVE STREAKS MAKING THE PLAYOFFS
7 Boston since 2016-17
7 Toronto since 2016-17
6 Colorado since 2017-18
6 Tampa Bay since 2017-18
IMPORTANCE OF GAME ONE
The Avalanche won all four Game 1 matchups a year ago en route to winning the Stanley Cup … In fact, Colorado has won its last six series openers … The Avs are 21-6 in best-of-seven playoff series when winning the first game.
FIRST ROUND SUCCESS
The Avalanche swept their first-round playoff series in each of the past two postseasons and have won 10 straight first round games going back to 2020 vs. Arizona … Colorado is 16-1 in its last 17 first-round games since dropping the 2019 playoff opener to Calgary.
BACK FOR MORE
Eighteen (18) players from last season’s Stanley Cup championship team are on Colorado’s 2023 playoff roster: Bowen Byram, Andrew Cogliano, J.T. Compher, Pavel Francouz, Samuel Girard, Darren Helm, Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson, Artturi Lehkonen, Kurtis MacDermid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Josh Manson, Alex Newhook, Valeri Nichushkin, Logan O’Connor, Mikko Rantanen and Devon Toews … The list becomes 19 if you include injured captain Gabriel Landeskog … Helm has two Stanley Cups (2008 Red Wings) and Lars Eller won a Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018.
