First Round Game 4 Preview: Avalanche vs. Kraken

COLORADO AVALANCHE (2-1) VS SEATTLE KRAKEN (1-2)
8 PM MT | CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENAWATCH:ALTITUDE / TBSLISTEN: 92.5FM/950 AM
The Colorado Avalanche look to continue momentum against the Seattle Kraken Monday night in Game 4 of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. MT on TBS and Altitude Sports. Colorado currently leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.

LAST TIME OUT - GAME 3 RECAP

The Avalanche lead the series 2-1 after defeating the Kraken 6-4 on Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena. Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, including the game-winner, for his 10th multi-goal game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mikko Rantanen notched three points (2G, 1A) to reach 81 career postseason points and tie Peter Stastny for fouth-most in franchise history. J.T. Compher found the back of the net on the penalty kill for his second shorthanded goal of his Stanley Cup Playoffs career. Cale Makar (1G, 1A) and Devon Toews (0G, 2A) each recorded two points. Alexandar Georgiev made 25 saves on 29 shots that came his way. Andrew Cogliano returned to the lineup after missing Game 2, while Valeri Nichushkin and Darren Helm were absent in Game 3.
For the Kraken, Jaden Schwartz found the back of the net twice, including Seattles' first power-play goal of the series. Rookie Matty Beniers and Jamie Oleksiak both scored their first goal of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In between the pipes, former Avalanche netminder Philipp Grubauer made 28 saves on 33 shots.

SERIES SHOWDOWN - COLORADO LEADS BEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES 2-1

20
MacKinnon has fired off a series-high 20 shots through three games which ranks second overall in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs behind Winnipeg's Kyle Connor (21 in three games).
1st
With his first-career playoff goal in Game 3, Seattle's Matty Beniers becomes the first rookie to find the back of the net in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
8.7
Throught the first three games of the best-of-seven First Round series versus the Kraken, Colorado has averaged 8.7 penalty minutes per game which ranks third-fewest among the 16 team playoff field.

HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS

| SHOTS | 110 | 88 | | HITS | 110 | 118 | | BLOCKS | 49 | 52 | | PIMs | 26 | 18 | | SCORING | 10 | 9 | | SPECIAL TEAMS | 0-7 | 1-11 | | GF/G | 3.33 | 3.00 | | GA/G | 3.00 | 3.33 | | FOW% | 56.4% | 43.6% | | | Avalanche | Kraken | | --- | --- | --- |

LINEUP UPDATES

Avalanche

Darren HelmUnknown
Gabriel LandeskogLower body
Jack Johnson Lower body
Valeri Nichushkin Personal reasons

Kraken

Joonas Donskoi * Upper body
Andre Burakovsky* Lower body
Morgan Geekie Unknown
John Hayden Lower body

GOALTENDING MATCHUP

Georgiev holds a 2-1 record through the first three games against the Seattle Kraken of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Ruse, Bulgaria, native garners a .898 save percentage and 3.03 goals-against average. Georgiev has been stout between the pipes while the Avs have been on the penalty kill, allowing just one goal over the last 11 Kraken power-play opportunities.
Grubauer started in his 36th postseason appearance on Saturday - third for Seattle - and made 28 saves from the 33 shots that came his way. Through the first three games, Grubauer holds a 1-2 record, with a .917 save percentage and a 3.06 goals-against average.

HEATING UP

Toews and Lehkonen both notched their second-consecutive game with two points after each recording a goal and an assist in Game 2 & two assists in Game 3.
Rantanen struck twice and added a helper in Game 3, bringing his series point total to four points (3G, 1A) which is tied for the team-lead with Toews and Lehkonen.
MacKinnon has registered a series-leading 20 shots on goal through three games.
Kraken defenseman Justin Schultz leads the Kraken with four points (1G, 3A) and has recorded at least on point in all three games. Schultz added a two assist performance in Game 3.
Kraken forward Yanni Gourde has tallied three assists in the last two games for Seattle.
Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz registered his first and second playoff goal in a Seattle sweater in Game 3, while Matty Benier notched his first postseason goal of his career.

QUOTES THAT LEFT A MARK:

"I think in that situation, experience came in handy there. We knew it was not going to be easy. It's the playoffs, and these guys are an awesome team that we're playing. They are buzzing at home, so we knew it would be hard, so there was no panic. We were feeling good about our game, honestly. We had a tough 20 seconds, like you said, but overall, I thought we really played well. We are a pesky road team, I think, and even with guys out, we still feel confident." - Colorado forward Nathan MacKinnon on Game 3 during the TNT post-game interview