The NHL playoffs are in full swing, and one of the most exciting matchups in the first round is the Avalanche vs Kraken series. The Colorado Avalanche finished the regular season with a record of 39-13-4 and secured the Presidents’ Trophy as the top team in the league. The Seattle Kraken, in their inaugural season, finished with a record of 23-28-7 and secured the fourth seed in the Pacific Division. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll take a closer look at the odds, preview, schedule, and prediction for this exciting series.
Odds
The Avalanche are heavy favorites to win this series, with odds of -450 to advance to the second round. The Kraken, on the other hand, have odds of +350 to pull off the upset. These odds are based on a variety of factors, including regular-season performance, head-to-head matchups, and injuries.
Preview
The Avalanche are led by superstar center Nathan MacKinnon, who finished the regular season with 20 goals and 45 assists. He’s joined by a talented supporting cast that includes Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar. The Avalanche boast one of the most potent offenses in the league, scoring an average of 3.5 goals per game.
The Kraken, meanwhile, are led by captain Mark Giordano and goaltender Philipp Grubauer. They don’t have the same level of offensive firepower as the Avalanche, but they play a disciplined defensive style that could give them a chance to pull off the upset.
Schedule
Game 1: Sunday, May 16 – Kraken at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET
Game 2: Wednesday, May 19 – Kraken at Avalanche, 10 p.m. ET
Game 3: Friday, May 21 – Avalanche at Kraken, 10:30 p.m. ET
Game 4: Sunday, May 23 – Avalanche at Kraken, 10:30 p.m. ET
Game 5 (if necessary): Tuesday, May 25 – Kraken at Avalanche, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday, May 27 – Avalanche at Kraken, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, May 29 – Kraken at Avalanche, TBD
Prediction
While the Kraken have had a solid inaugural season, it’s hard to see them pulling off the upset against the Avalanche. Colorado’s offense is simply too potent, and they have the depth and experience to make a deep playoff run. That being said, the Kraken could make things interesting if they can slow down the Avalanche’s offense and get strong performances from Grubauer in net. Ultimately, though, we predict that the Avalanche will win this series in five games.