Nathan MacKinnon scored twice and added an assist to pad his lead atop the NHL scoring race as the Colorado Avalanche earned a 5-3 win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night at Climate Pledge Arena.
Brock Nelson stayed hot with another goal, giving him four in his last five games. Artturi Lehkonen also found the back of the net, while Samuel Girard picked up his first goal of the season. Cale Makar, Martin Nečas, and Valeri Nichushkin each finished with two assists, and Mackenzie Blackwood turned in a strong night in goal, stopping 34 shots.
The win was Colorado’s third in a row, while Seattle dropped its third straight, though the Kraken were competitive throughout and held the lead at times.
Seattle got goals from Chandler Stephenson, Shane Wright, and Jordan Eberle. Former Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer was solid despite the loss, making 33 saves.
First Period
It was a physical start as just over two minutes into the game, Josh Manson caught Mason Marchment with a hard check from behind, sending the forward to the ice. Several Avalanche players stood up on the bench to get a look, and when Marchment got back to his feet, he exchanged words with those nearby.
Seattle controlled much of the early play and held a 6–3 edge in shots, but Blackwood was sharp right away. He came up with a pair of highlight-reel saves on Matty Beniers and Frederick Gaudreau to keep the game scoreless.
Colorado opened the scoring with 7:40 left in the period. Martin Nečas fired a shot through traffic that Lehkonen tipped past Seattle netminder Philipp Grubauer, who never saw it. The goal was initially credited to Nečas before the deflection was confirmed.
Marchment later got loose on a partial breakaway, but Sam Malinski tracked back and forced him into Blackwood, earning a holding penalty. The Avalanche penalty kill handled that chance, and another Malinski penalty shortly after, without issue.
Seattle then took a penalty of its own when Ryan Winterton tripped Nečas in the neutral zone, but Colorado’s power play continued to struggle. The Avalanche carried a 1–0 lead into the intermission.
Second Period
The lead didn’t last long as Seattle tied it just over three minutes into the period. Jani Nyman rang a shot off the post, and Wright jumped on the rebound at the back door.
Seattle grabbed a lead of their own soon after. Beniers slipped a pass across the crease to Adam Larsson, whose first attempt was stopped by Blackwood. The puck sat loose, though, and Eberle tapped it into an open net.
Colorado caught a break when Marchment was called for slashing Nečas, but again the Avalanche couldn’t capitalize on the man advantage. Nečas appeared to score moments later, only for the goal to be overturned after review showed the puck was knocked in with his glove.
The Avalanche finally pulled even at 13:29 when Girard stepped into a one-timer and beat Grubauer for his first goal of the season, drawing a loud reaction from the Colorado fans in attendance.
Vince Dunn was later sent off for tripping Nečas, but yet again the Avalanche power play came up empty. Seattle’s penalty kill held firm despite entering the night ranked last in the league.
Late in the period, Ross Colton was called for boarding Ryan Lindgren. The Kraken made it count, as Stephenson’s shot deflected off Brent Burns’ skate and into the net, giving Seattle a 3–2 lead heading into the third.
Third Period
Things got heated early in the final frame when Marchment slashed Manson after the whistle. The two had been going at it all night, and Manson responded with several right hands that bloodied Marchment’s nose. Burns and Brandon Montour also got tangled up, and all four players received double minors for roughing.
Colorado got the last laugh, though, as they tied the game at 2:40 when Nathan MacKinnon ripped a one-timer off a feed from Cale Makar.
Joel Kiviranta was later called for tripping Nyman, giving Seattle another power-play look, but Blackwood and the penalty kill held the line.
At 7:49, Eberle was awarded a penalty shot after officials ruled Manson had covered the puck in the crease. The call left Manson furious, and replay appeared to show the puck loose. Eberle’s attempt missed wide, keeping the game tied 3-3.
Dunn was then called for tripping Gabe Landeskog, and just nine seconds into the power play, Brock Nelson buried a rebound off a MacKinnon shot to give Colorado the lead with just over 12 minutes remaining.
Seattle pulled Grubauer for the extra attacker late but couldn’t generate the equalizer. MacKinnon capped the night with an empty-net goal with 23.4 seconds left to seal the win 5-3 victory.
Up Next
The Avalanche (24-2-5) get two nights off before returning home to face Jonathan Toews and the Winnipeg Jets (15-15-2) on Friday night at Ball Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. local time.
