Nazem Kadri’s late third-period goal secured a comeback victory for the surging Colorado Avalanche as they defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-3 on Monday night.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel scored twice, and Devon Toews added another goal for Colorado, which overcame its former goalie Philipp Grubauer to achieve a franchise-record 12th consecutive home win and fifth overall.
Grubauer, who made 31 saves, played the past three seasons with the Avalanche and received a warm reception from the crowd, who cheered “Gru” when he was first shown on the scoreboard. Last season, he posted a 30-9-1 record in 40 games with Colorado. However, he became a free agent due to salary cap constraints and signed a six-year, $35.4 million deal with Seattle.
“I wasn’t sure if they were boos or Grus coming back here,” Grubauer said. “If it was a Gru, I definitely appreciate it. The love, appreciation, and support I got here has been incredible. Denver is always a special place in my heart, especially the fans. It feels amazing for sure.”
The Kraken had six games postponed since Dec. 18 and were playing for the first time since losing to Vancouver on Jan. 1 but showed little rust. Marcus Johansson, Jared McCann, and Colin Blackwell scored to give Seattle a 3-1 lead in the second period.
“We played a darn good hockey game, but at the end of the day, you have to address the result,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “We didn’t come here to play a good hockey game, we came to win a hockey game.”
Aube-Kubel’s second goal of the game made it 3-2, and Toews tied it when the puck deflected off his right skate and into the net at 11:47 of the third. The goal was upheld after review.
“I don’t know what the definition of a kick-in is,” Grubauer said. “Maybe you can find an answer for me.”
McCann and Johansson also had assists.
Kadri netted the winner at 14:17 of the third, beating Grubauer high for his 13th goal of the season.
“I had some room. I was looking to pass it, but I had some room to walk in and just wanted to stay aggressive. I was able to find that short side,” said Kadri, who also had an assist on Monday night.
Grubauer was pulled for an extra skater, but the Kraken couldn’t find an equalizer against Pavel Francouz, who finished with 23 saves.
On Monday, Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed in health and safety protocols. Andre Burakovsky moved up to the top line and finished with two assists.
“Of course, it’s a big loss for us, but we’re a good enough team to try to rebound and scrape together a few wins without him,” Kadri said. “Obviously, he can’t be replaced, and we’re much better with him, but our team has shown a lot of maturity, a lot of character coming back in these types of fashions that I don’t think we would have handled the same way a year or two ago.”
Game Notes
- Avalanche D Ryan Murray was scratched after playing the last two games. Murray missed 11 games with a lower-body injury before returning against Winnipeg on Thursday night.
- Kraken RW Joonas Donskoi has no goal in 34 games this season. He had 17 goals in 51 games with Colorado last season and was selected by Seattle in the expansion draft.
- Avalanche RW Valeri Nichuskin was back in the lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury.
UP NEXT
- Kraken: Host Dallas on Wednesday night.
- Avalanche: At Nashville on Tuesday night.
