Wedgewood makes 22 saves, Avalanche shut out Kraken

DENVER -- Scott Wedgewood made 22 saves for his fourth shutout of the season, and the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Seattle Kraken 2-0 at Ball Arena on Thursday.

“He's awesome. I don't think anyone's surprised by that at all,” Colorado forward Nick Blankenburg said. “Like 10 minutes left I was thinking in my head, obviously you never say shutout out loud before it happens, so I was just like, 'Please, could we just get this one for him?' So, super happy for him, and obviously goaltending will be huge in the playoffs.”

The shutout was also the 12th of Wedgewood's NHL career. After the game, the NHL announced that he and Mackenzie Blackwood won the William M. Jennings Trophy, which is presented annually to the goaltender(s) who plays a minimum of 25 games for the team allowing the fewest goals during the regular season. 

"I've competed. I've gone down in practice 10 billion times, and I still do it. There's nothing egotistical about it. It's just hard work,” Wedgewood said. “All of a sudden, opportunity comes. You make the most of it, and here you are playing the most I've ever played. The most wins, best numbers I've ever had on a really good team, and it's very rewarding.”

Blankenburg and Parker Kelly scored, and Valeri Nichushkin had two assists for the Avalanche (55-16-11), who went 5-0-1 in their final six games and set a franchise record for points in a season with 121. Forwards Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Gabriel Landeskog did not play.

“I thought everyone tonight played with great commitment and a great mentality to check the right way, and I thought we (had a) solid game,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “We did a nice job on the offensive side of things. I thought we could have earned a couple more. We did a great job on the defensive side of it.

“I like where our team is at going into this. Get them some rest here, get them up to speed on L.A. and turn them loose.”

Colorado will begin its Western Conference First Round series against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. The Kings finished as the second wild card following a 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Thursday and wins by the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks.

"I don't have any initial thoughts,” Bednar said of the matchup. “That’s who we're playing, so that's who we'll prepare for and get ready to go. I mean, I haven't spent any time on the Kings except for when we played them a couple times this season.”

Said Wedgewood: “It's going to be tough. It always is, right? Everyone levels up and plays. They're a good defensive team. They make you work for it, and then they got some veterans, some high-speed players.”

Victor Ostman made 33 saves in his first NHL start for the Kraken (34-37-11), who lost their final three games of the season, including 4-1 at the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

“I thought we competed, certainly. I thought they were quicker, and as a result, we spent some time in our zone,” Seattle coach Lane Lambert said. “I thought at times, too, we looked a little tired. I think the back-to-back we had is ridiculous. Last two games of the year, when you lose a time zone, get in at 3 o’clock in the morning, playing the No. 1 team in the League.

“I mean, call it an excuse. Call it whatever you want. I thought at times we didn't have a lot in the tank. I thought that we did our best and tried to stay committed to trying to do what we want to do.”

Blankenburg appeared give Colorado a 1-0 lead at 7:33 of the first period, but Seattle challenged the play for offside, and the goal was overturned after a video review determined that Logan O'Connor entered the zone without possession of the puck.

However, Blankenburg scored another goal that counted at 17:38 of the second period. Brent Burns sent a pass from the blue line down to Blankenburg, who one-touched it along the goal line off the left arm of Ostman.

“Obviously, it felt great. I was a little surprised that the first one got called off, but it is what it is,” Blankenburg said. “I think it's a collection of just multiple plays in a row. I mean, the icing 30 seconds before that, they couldn't change, and a couple keep-ins by some forwards."

Kelly made it 2-0 at 12:19 of the third period, finishing Cale Makar's cross-ice pass in the bottom of the left circle. Nichushkin started the play by carrying the puck left to right across the blue line before feeding Makar, who then found Kelly.

NOTES: MacKinnon, who finished the regular season with an NHL career-high 53 goals in 80 games, won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goal-scorer. He is the second player in franchise history to win the award, joining Milan Hejduk (2002-03). ... Bednar returned to the bench after missing two games because of facial fractures and a corneal abrasion he sustained after he was struck by a puck in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Golden Knights on Saturday. ... Patrick Roy had been the only other Avalanche goaltender to win the William M. Jennings Trophy, doing so in 2001-02.