Kraken drop fifth straight game with 5-2 loss to Avalanche
The Kraken dropped their fifth straight game in regulation 5-2 Sunday night at Ball Arena in Denver. The Colorado Avalanche swept the season series against Seattle.
By the letter of the law, Colorado’s Joel Kiviranta scored a hat trick, though two of them were empty-netters.
Kaapo Kakko netted his first goal as a member of the Kraken in his third appearance, scoring two seconds after a faceoff win from linemate Matty Beniers. Kakko used the official who dropped the puck as a screen, scoring through his legs. Colorado goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (17 saves) barely twitched until the puck was already in the process of beating him five-hole.
“I was kind of surprised that went in,” Kakko said. “Big goal for us.
“It feels a little better to get the first one out of the way. But we’ve got to win the games.”
Kakko, a forward and former No. 2 overall pick, was acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on Wednesday. The Kraken gave up defenseman Will Borgen and two 2025 draft picks.
That 2-1 lead Kakko provided was the Kraken’s only one of the game, and it lasted 11 seconds. Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon got a shot on net while draped with Seattle defenders and teammate Valeri Nichushkin cleaned up the rebound.
Kiviranta scored his third goal in as many games against Seattle this season to make it 3-2 Colorado. He added a fourth as soon as the Kraken pulled goalie Joey Daccord for the extra skater, then another empty-netter during Seattle’s last gasp. Five of Kiviranta’s 10 goals this season have come against the Kraken.
While being battered by the Avalanche, the Kraken took back-to-back-to-back penalties midway through the first period and couldn’t survive all three. With Brandon Montour in the box for tripping, 2023 postseason persona non grata Cale Makar made it 1-0 Avalanche.
“It doesn’t help your cause,” Kraken winger Jared McCann said. “They’re deadly out there. After that, it felt like we were chasing the game a little bit.”
McCann was the one who tied the game at 1 in the first period. He hadn’t scored with an opposing goalie in net since Nov. 30, an uncharacteristic stretch for the Kraken career leader in most offensive categories.
Makar almost scored again on a 2-on-0 late in the second period. Daccord had to make a flashy glove save to keep it a one-goal deficit.
The tying goal was on Seattle defenseman Ryker Evans’ stick but he hit the goalpost. It was on winger Jaden Schwartz’s tape as well on a breakaway, but Blackwood stopped the shot.
Daccord got a rare start at Ball Arena over Avalanche alum Philipp Grubauer and made 24 saves. Daccord had a first-period injury scare, heading toward the bench doubled over, but he stayed in the game.
Tye Kartye re-entered the lineup in place of Brandon Tanev, who was a late scratch. Tanev went down the tunnel after a hit Saturday night from the Vegas Golden Knights’ Tanner Laczynski, but returned to finish out Seattle’s 6-2 loss.
The 15-19-2 Kraken don’t play again until Dec. 28 in Vancouver. They dropped seven points behind the wild-card cutoff in the West following the latest loss.
“A lot’s been said,” first-year coach Dan Bylsma said. “There’s a lot of searching from the group, from the guys, going on. We didn’t want to use the last two games as throwaway and get to the break. We wanted some growth as a team.”
He said he was pleased with the effort Sunday, if not the result.
“The four-day break we have to take as a break, both mentally (and physically), get away from the game a little bit, come back after Christmas and be ready to go,” Bylsma said.