Whatever happens in the next week, the Seattle Kraken earned respect around the league. In game one against the Colorado Avalanche, they stunned the defending champions with a 3-1 victory. Though a different story unfolded in game two, the Kraken still played a strong game. With a road win, too, they swung home-ice advantage into their own favour. And whether or not that translates to a win in the series as a whole, the Kraken already exceeded expectations for 2022-23.
Seattle Kraken Exceeding Expectations in Franchise’s Playoff Debut
A week before the playoffs began, five possible opponents remained available as the Kraken’s first-round matchup. Oddly enough, the Avs stood as the sole team in that subgroup that Seattle defeated in their regular season series. In three contests, Seattle went 2-0-1 against Colorado in 2022-23. The only Avalanche victory came by way of a shootout, too.
That said, taking on the defending champs still felt like the worst-case scenario for Seattle. Yet, things went perfectly for the Kraken in game one. Eeli Tolvanen made history with the franchise’s first-ever postseason goal, early in the first off of an uncharacteristic giveaway from Devon Toews. Mikko Rantanen tied things up a few minutes later, but Alexander Wennberg put Seattle back in front early in the second period.
Morgan Geekie added an insurance marker early in the third as well, allowing his squad to cruise to a win. Philipp Grubauer, against his former team, recorded the first-ever Kraken playoff victory, stopping 34 out of 35 shots. The Avalanche fell short of expectations, while the Kraken exceeded theirs.
Kraken Strong Showing in Game Two
By the time the first period ended in game two, Seattle already owned a 2-0 lead. First, Justin Schultz potted a goal. Then, Brandon Tanev added a shorthanded marker 13 minutes into the frame. In both of the team’s first two playoff contests, they drew blood first. And teams always prefer playing with a lead, rather than from behind.
Unfortunately, Colorado dug in their heels and found a way to fight back. In game one, Seattle played a near-perfect game; they forechecked hard, backchecked harder, and gave the Avs no time or space to make any easy plays. Seattle’s locker room knew they had to do so to give themselves a chance in the series. The Avs have the experience, and expectations remain that the Kraken have to be excellent to hang in a series with an opponent of this calibre.
In game two, they followed the same playbook. Though they maintained tight defensive gaps and pushed the Avs to the outside as much as possible, Colorado came at them with far more determination. For instance, the Avalanche outshot Seattle 35-30 in game one but still lost by a 3-1 margin. In game two, the Avs held a double-digit edge in shot count, ending at 41-29.
Avalanche Bounce-Back
In a 48-second span in the second period of game two, the Avs potted two goals to tie the contest 2-2. First, Artturi Lehkonen tipped a Cale Makar shot past Grubauer. Then, Valeri Nichushkin made one of his trademark powerforward plays to the front of Seattle’s net to score, too.
Lehkonen and Nichushkin struggled in game one for Colorado. They more than made up for it in game two. Alexandar Georgiev improved as well, including a dramatic save late in the second to keep things tied. Devon Toews scored the game winner in the last half of the third period, and they held prevented any Kraken comeback from there.
Bring the Energy Home for Games 3 and 4
But, all of the above happened on the road. Now, with home ice advantage, expectations ratchet up for the Kraken. Maybe they don’t ratchet up a ton, as ultimately the Avs remain heavy favourites. But, the mantra in a seven game series remains: teams aren’t in trouble until they lose on home ice.
The city of Seattle will be rocking for game three on Saturday. Not since the Seattle Metropolitans, over 100 years ago, has playoff hockey come to the Emerald City. In a year where all of Seattle major sports franchises exceeded expectations, the Kraken round out the party. The Seahawks surprised the NFL and squeaked into the playoffs. The Mariners broke the longest active playoff drought in pro sports this year, too.
And now, the newest NHL team surprised everyone too. The Kraken exceeded 2022-23 expectations by a mile, and hope their story has plenty more chapters yet to be written this postseason.
Main Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
