“That’s why you play the games,” is the unofficial motto for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, or at least it should be. Out of all major sports in North America, the NHL feels the most unpredictable. Upsets happen in every league every year, but with seemingly more frequency in hockey. And this year stands out significantly from the rest, with a pair of jaw-dropping results on Sunday night. In two game sevens, both underdogs emerged victorious. These weren’t your average underdogs either; these were truly as lopsided as matchups get. Yet, they found a way. The Colorado Avalanche vs Seattle Kraken series finale saw the defending champions head for the offseason, while the playoff first-timers go at least one round deeper.
Major Upset in Avalanche vs Kraken Series: Seattle Moving On
For hockey fans around the world, the game seven doubleheader Sunday was must-see TV. First, the Florida Panthers fought back from going down 3-1 in their series to force game seven. Their opponents, the Boston Bruins, won more games this season than any team in NHL history. To cap off the upset, the Panthers took out Boston in overtime, abruptly ending the greatest season in NHL history far short of the ultimate goal.
So when that game wrapped up and the Avalanche vs Kraken contest began, fans already existed in a state of shock. What was supposedly the best team in the league by a large margin could not win a single playoff series. Surely, the defending Stanley Cup champion-Avs wouldn’t face a similar fall from grace. Right?
Avalanche Fail to Defend Cup Title
Wrong. Seattle found ways to beat the Avalanche in two out of three regular season games. They held a 3-2 series lead going back home for game six in Seattle, too. Colorado managed to wrestle that one back and force game seven at home. Despite boasting a stronger road record this year than they posted at home, it still looked and felt like Colorado’s game to win.
While the Avs had a great regular season, their depth never got going in this Avalanche vs Kraken series. Mikko Rantanen (ten points) and Nathan MacKinnon (seven points) scored ten of the team’s 19 goals. Only nine players found the back of the net over the series, and Artturi Lehkonen was the only player not named Rantanen or MacKinnon to score more than once. Those three, plust JT Compher, registered more time on ice in the series than any single forward on the entire Kraken roster.
And therein lies the difference between the clubs. Colorado felt the absences of forwards like Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, Gabriel Landeskog, and Valeri Nichushkin who all played massive roles in their 2022 championship run. They won that Cup thanks to their balanced attack. Seattle themselves displayed the balance across their lineup that the Avs so badly missed.
Kraken Depth, Difference Maker in Series
In Seattle’s locker room, no single player produced at a point-per-game pace. Unlike Colorado, Seattle lacks any superstar talent or elite gamebreaking player. That didn’t matter though, as the Kraken came in waves and received contributions from every single line throughout the series. Like Colorado, only three Kraken players scored multiple goals. Those three (Jaden Schwartz, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Morgan Geekie) potted two a piece.
After the three players with two goals exists a deep list of 12 different players who registered one goal, each. Only Yanni Gourde registered over 20 minutes of icetime per game amongst their forwards. They essentially rolled their top three lines evenly, yet even their fourth line (Geekie, Daniel Sprong and Ryan Donato) produced three goals themselves.
The games played out very similarly each night, too. In the three Avalanche wins, MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Cale Makar essentially willed their team to victory. In their losses, Seattle did a better job of shutting those players down. Regardless of the game, though, the best players for Colorado remained the same. For Seattle, in each game, a different hero emerged. That diversity made the Kraken much more difficult to predict or anticipate, and ultimately won them the series.
Grubauer Finds his Game, Defeats his Old Team
For Kraken fans, this series victory looks monumental in plenty of ways. Their depth shined, their discipline and systems worked extremely effectively, and they carved out plenty of historic “firsts” for the franchise. However, the brightest storyline coming out of the Avalanche vs Kraken series was the re-emergence of goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
Entering the playoffs, goaltending appeared to be Seattle’s biggest weakness. Grubauer signed a long-term six year contract with the Kraken back ahead of their inaugural season. To-date, he posted his worst-career save percentages and goals against average (among other metrics) in these first two seasons with the Kraken. Going against Colorado held special significance for Grubauer too, as he posted his best career seasons as their starting goalie over the three seasons just before arriving in Seattle.
And for the first time in awhile, Grubauer played to the peak of his ability. Grubauer carries a .926% save percentage and 2.44 goals against average with him into round two of the postseason. His quality start percentage stands at a fantastic .857%. He faced more shots than any other goalie in round one, and still managed to post the third-highest save percentage amongst his peers. This is the goaltending Ron Francis and Co. expected when they signed him to that contract two summers ago. If it continues, the team can go much deeper than just winning the Avalanche vs Kraken series.
What this Means for the Future
Seattle looks poised for a fun road ahead, as they prepare to hit the ground running against the Dallas Stars. Dallas wrapped up their series in six games, and received an extra couple days of rest as a result. Seattle, on the other hand, got one day off and likely traveled straight from Denver to Dallas. The celebration had to be short-lived; they beat Colorado on Sunday, and start round two against Dallas on Tuesday.
The Kraken need to continue receiving stellar goaltending, as their new opponents get the same out of their netminder. Jake Oettinger ranks amongst the top goalies in the playoffs right now, but so does Grubauer. That duel will determine much of how the series goes, but Seattle needs all of their players to continue pulling the rope like they have been.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche need to rest and recover. After missing their captain literally all season long, they pray Landeskog returns healthy and strong for 2023-24. Also there’s plenty to figure out with regards to whatever kept Nichushkin away from the series after game two. Besides players under contract, the Avs feature a whopping 12 pending free agents, eight of which will be unrestricted. MacKinnon’s extension kicks in next year too, meaning the team must factor in his $6.3 million annual raise going forward. Money just got very tight for the Avs, but their core remains intact. This team has to find a way to be better outside of their superstars if they expect to win another Cup before they have to completely re-set thier roster.
Main Photo: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
