Oliver Bjorkstrand made a little Seattle Kraken history with his late-game heroics.
Bjorkstrand scored his second goal of the game with just 32 seconds remaining, securing a 4-3 win for the Kraken over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. According to NHL research, this marks the latest go-ahead goal in regulation for the franchise, now in its third season.
“Barely remember it,” Bjorkstrand said of his game-winning goal.
The sequence: Bjorkstrand, positioned down low, sent a backhanded pass to Eeli Tolvanen in front of the net. Tolvanen’s shot deflected off goaltender Ivan Prosvetov, allowing Bjorkstrand to skate to the other side and line it in for his sixth goal of the season.
Bjorkstrand seems to have a knack for shining against the Avalanche, having scored two goals to help Seattle eliminate Colorado in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series last season.
“Nice to get the win,” Bjorkstrand said. “That’s the most important.”
Jaden Schwartz and Matty Beniers also scored for the Kraken, handing the Avalanche their first home loss in five games this season. Philipp Grubauer made 23 saves against his former team.
Bowen Byram, Nathan MacKinnon, and Valeri Nichushkin scored for Colorado. Prosvetov had 19 saves in his third appearance for the Avalanche since being acquired on waivers.
Seattle built 2-0 and 3-1 leads in the second period before the Avalanche tied it with Nichushkin’s tip-in goal with 7:45 remaining.
“As a whole, that’s the way I want our team to compete. We played hard,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “We weren’t perfect, but you’re never going to be. We did a nice job.”
A scary moment occurred midway through the second period when Colorado forward Artturi Lehkonen slid head-first into the boards after a collision with 6-foot-7 defenseman Jamie Oleksiak. Lehkonen was taken to the hospital for further evaluation but was reported to be “alert, responsive, and has full movement.”
Bednar did not have an update on Lehkonen after the game. He noted that Lehkonen “got caught in a bad spot and ran into a big guy.”
Beniers gave Seattle a 3-1 lead midway through the second period with his first goal of the season on a power play. The reigning Calder Memorial Trophy winner had 24 goals and 57 points last season.
“Felt good,” Beniers said. “Felt great.”
Seattle was without Jordan Eberle, who suffered a cut to his leg during practice on Wednesday. He is listed as day-to-day.
Kraken forward Ryan Winterton was called up from Coachella Valley of the AHL and made his NHL debut, recording one shot in just over seven minutes of ice time.
Colorado defenseman Cale Makar played his 250th career NHL game and recorded an assist. Makar’s 261 points are the most ever by a defenseman through 250 games, surpassing Bobby Orr’s 256 points.
“I felt like we deserved a better outcome,” Makar said. “Compete-wise, we played to the best of our ability.”
During the annual “Hockey Fights Cancer” night, the Avalanche held a dedication ceremony for the late Peter McNab, naming the broadcast booth in honor of the longtime NHL player and analyst who passed away last November after battling cancer.
UP NEXT
- Kraken: Host Edmonton on Saturday.
- Avalanche: Wrap up a three-game homestand Saturday against St. Louis.
