Cale Makar and Andre Burakovsky scored twice, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Friday night.
Darcy Kuemper made 25 saves, and Nazem Kadri extended his points streak to eight games with two assists for Colorado. The Avalanche, who have won four straight games, have outscored their opponents 24-7 during this streak and improved to 6-1-1 in their last eight games after starting the season 1-3.
“I think it took a while to find some chemistry,” said defenseman Erik Johnson. “We had some COVID absences, some injuries, and a lot of new faces that needed to adjust. It takes time for guys to find their rhythm, even with a new goalie. We’re finding our rhythm right now.”
Jordan Eberle, Brandon Tanev, and Colin Blackwell scored for the Kraken, who have lost six straight and seven of their last eight. Chris Driedger made his second start in goal for Seattle but struggled, allowing four goals on Colorado’s first 13 shots, including both of Burakovsky’s power-play goals.
“I think we just needed to go back to the simplicity of things, and tonight, you saw that with one or two passes and then straight to the net,” Makar said. “We need to focus on having that attack mentality and creating chaos.”
The strategy paid off. Kraken coach Dave Hakstol pulled Driedger at 5:33 of the second period for Philipp Grubauer, who also struggled, giving up three goals as the Avs built a 7-0 lead. The seven goals matched Seattle’s season high for goals allowed.
“There’s only one way out of it, and that’s to keep grinding, stick together, and find a way to win,” Hakstol said. “We didn’t do that tonight, which is disappointing. But we have a choice in how we approach the next day.”
Hakstol announced Driedger as the starter on Friday morning over Grubauer, a Vezina Trophy finalist last year with the Avalanche. Grubauer has struggled in his first month with Seattle, posting a 3.18 goals-against average and a .877 save percentage. The change didn’t provide the spark the Kraken needed.
Burakovsky opened the scoring at 4:04 of the first period following Ryan Donato’s hooking minor. A few minutes later, two Kraken players collided on Seattle’s power play, allowing Tyson Jost to send the loose puck to Valeri Nichushkin, who beat Driedger stick-side on the breakaway at 6:39 for the Avs’ NHL-leading fourth shorthanded goal of the season.
Makar scored with an assist from Kadri at 3:01 of the second period, and Burakovsky made it 4-0 with his second power-play goal at 5:33.
The Avs continued their scoring spree with Makar’s second goal about eight minutes into the second period, followed by Erik Johnson and Nicolas Aube-Kubel’s goals.
“I didn’t score on Grubie in four years of practice,” Johnson said. “Somehow, I scored on him today.”
BEDNAR EXTENDED
The Avs signed coach Jared Bednar to a two-year extension through the 2023-24 season before the game.
“I’m excited to continue the work we’ve started with this group,” Bednar said. “I believe in this group a lot and I’m thankful for the opportunity. We’ve got unfinished business, and I’m happy to be part of it for a little while longer to try and get the job done.”
Game notes
Johnson’s goal gave him 62, tying him with Rob Blake for fourth place in career goals by an Avs defenseman. Eberle has scored a point in seven straight games. With seven goals, Tanev has already matched his 2020-21 total. Kuemper is 5-1 in his last six games.
UP NEXT
- Avalanche: Host Ottawa on Monday.
- Kraken: Host Washington on Sunday.
