Kole Lind, Jordan Eberle, and Yanni Gourde each scored in the first period, and the Seattle Kraken held on to defeat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Wednesday night.
Philipp Grubauer made 25 saves as Seattle secured its third consecutive win. Matty Beniers recorded an assist, making him the first rookie this season to start his NHL career with a point in each of his first four games.
“We got off to the start that we needed,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “Playing with a lead against Colorado is important, and we managed to do that. Different guys stepped up at critical times, and that’s what collectively leads to a good win.”
Cale Makar and Artturi Lehkonen scored for the Avalanche, while Pavel Francouz made 26 saves. Colorado, having secured the top seed in the Western Conference, has lost two straight after a nine-game winning streak. The Avalanche are tied with Florida with 116 points in the race for the President’s Trophy for the league’s best record.
“We weren’t working hard enough,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “We weren’t ready to play at the start of the game. The Kraken have been playing good hockey lately, and they played hard from start to finish.”
Lind gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead with a backhand shot just 1:12 into the game, his second goal of the season.
Beniers assisted on Eberle’s goal at 5:23, making it 2-0. It was Eberle’s 19th goal of the season.
“In the first 10 minutes, they scored a few quick goals,” Colorado’s Nazem Kadri said. “That set us back. We settled in and controlled the game more, but it was a slow start.”
The Kraken extended their lead to 3-0 when Jared McCann’s shot from the right point deflected off the skate of Colorado defenseman Bowen Byram and Gourde in front, finding the net with 5:16 remaining in the opening period. It was Gourde’s 18th goal of the season.
“Any time you go up 3-0, it’s a bonus,” Eberle said. “Against these guys, you know they have the firepower to return. We did a good job limiting their chances.”
Makar put the Avalanche on the board with his 27th goal with 2:23 left in the first period, and Lehkonen scored his 17th to make it 3-2 with 3:40 remaining in the third.
“You have to trust every layer of what you’re doing,” Hakstol said. “We’re seeing a lot of that right now. Guys are working well together. That’s simply the players knowing how they want to play and executing it well.”
STRONG START
Seattle selected Beniers out of Michigan with the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft. He’s the first rookie to debut with an expansion team in its inaugural season and record a point in each of his first four games since Bernie Johnston (1979-80). The longest stretch is six games by Wayne Gretzky (1979-80).
Beniers also assisted in his NHL debut, a loss at Calgary last Tuesday. He then scored a goal in back-to-back games against New Jersey and Ottawa.
Game Notes
Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen missed Wednesday’s game with a non-COVID-related illness. Kadri returned from an upper-body injury, playing for the first time since March 31. With his assist on Gourde’s goal, McCann registered his 200th NHL point. The Kraken honored linesman Vaughan Rody, who worked his final NHL game after 21 seasons. Rody lives in Lake Stevens, Wash.
UP NEXT
- Avalanche: At Edmonton on Friday night.
- Kraken: At Minnesota on Friday night.
