Game Preview: Avalanche vs. Kraken

COLORADO AVALANCHE VS. WINNIPEG JETS
7:00 PM MT | BALL ARENAWATCH: ALTITUDE 2LISTEN: 92.5FM/950 AM
The Colorado Avalanche look to get back in the win column as they battle the Seattle Kraken on Friday at Ball Arena. Coverage begins at 7:00 P.M. MT on Altitude Sports 2.

Last time out, the Avalanche erased a two-goal deficit at home versus Winnipeg but ultimately fell short in overtime, 4-3, to bring the season record to 2-1-1.
Mikko Rantanen scored twice and dished out an assist to bring his point total to nine (3G, 6A), which ranks the second most in the NHL. Valeri Nichushkin added two points (1G, 1A), and Nathan MacKinnon recorded an assist to advance their respective point streaks to four games. Nichushkin has also scored in all four contests this season with five goals in that span and four of which were converted on the power play.
The league-leading Avs power play continues to see success, scoring at least one goal on the man advantage in each of its four games to start the season, with an NHL-best 53.8% (7-of-13) power play percentage.

HISTORY

This is the first of three outings versus Seattle this season, with the next matchup in the Evergreen State on Jan. 21. The Kraken travel back to Denver on March 5th to close out the season series.
The Avalanche hold a 2-1 overall record against the second-year expansion franchise.
The Avs captured the first two games last season, while the Kraken were victorious the last time the two teams faced off. Cale Makar recorded a team-leading five points (3G, 2A) in three games against the Kraken last season.
AVALANCHE VS KRAKEN
AVALANCHE ARTICLES
Alex Newhook](https://www.nhl.com/avalanche/news/rooting-for-womens-hockey-hits-home-for-alex-newhook/c-336626574)
Landeskog Sidelined After Undergoing Knee Surgery
Colorado Avalanche 2022 Reverse Retro Jersey
Francouz Adds Special Touch to Goalie Mask
GAME EXTRAS
Avalanche 360
Avalanche Tickets

SCOUTING THE KRAKEN

Seattle is young and filled with top draft picks. Top draftees Matty Beniers (2nd overall, 2021 NHL Draft) and Shane Wright (4th overall, 2022 NHL Draft) have not shied away from NHL action. Beniers is off to a hot start and is tied for the rookie lead in scoring with four points (1G, 3A). Wright tallied his first career assist and point last game against the St. Louis Blues.
The Kraken roster also features a few recognizable names to Avalanche fans. Former Av and member of the 2022 Stanley Cup roster Andre Burakovsky leads Seattle with five points (2G, 3A).
Goaltender Philipp Grubauer could potentially get the nod in net against his former team, marking the seventh time (3-2-0) in his 11-year career that he would face the Avalanche. Grubauer spent three years in Denver (2018-21), playing in 113 games and posting a 66-30-10 record.

LINEUP UPDATES

Head coach Jared Bednar announced Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is expected to miss 12 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday. Veteran center Darren Helm remains sidelined after undergoing off-season surgery.
Recently, Colorado claimed forward Dryden Hunt from the New York Rangers on Thursday from the waiver wire.

IS IT THE JERSEY?

Burgundy: 1-0-0 record
White: 1-1-0 record
Thirds: 0-0-1 record

NUMBERS GAME

4
Valeri Nichushkin is on a career-best four-game goal streak to begin the season. Four of his five goals have come on the power play, tied with Steven Stamkos for the most in the league.
3
There are currently three Avalanche players ranked in the top 3 in points in the league:
Mikko Rantanen 9
Valeri Nichushkin 8
Nathan MacKinnon 8
168
Against Winnipeg, Mikko Rantanen scored two goals, bringing his career total to 168 to take sole possession of 10th place on the Avs all-time goals list.

QUOTES THAT LEFT A MARK

"It shows a lot of character being able to get yourself back into a game like that, but at the end of the day, we didn't get the two points we wanted. There's always things to improve on. Right now, there is a lot of things, so we'll just keep going." -Bowen Byram on Avalanche's resiliency