2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Preview: Colorado Avalanche vs. Seattle Kraken
On Tuesday night, the Seattle Kraken will embark on their first playoff run in franchise history. The Colorado Avalanche, on the other hand, will begin the quest for their fourth Cup in franchise history. Last summer was certainly one to remember for Avs fans everywhere, as they brought home the third Stanley Cup in a very dramatic fashion against the then-reigning champion Tampa Bay Lighting. Now, their title defense begins. Let’s preview the matchup below!
Looking Back:
Seattle took down Colorado in two of the three matchups. In their most recent meeting on March 5, Colorado beat Seattle 2-1 in a shootout in Climate Pledge Arena.
Offense:
Obviously, the two best forwards in this series are Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Both had career-high seasons with 42 and 55 goals, respectively. One could argue that Colorado’s revolving door of bottom-six forwards could be a concern. I disagree wholeheartedly. Ending the regular season with a 51-24-7 record, after a season riddled with unnecessary injuries, is quite a feat. I think it has only made them stronger going into the postseason.
By no means do I believe Seattle will go down without a fight. Brandon Tanev, Daniel Sprong and Ryan Donato will be plenty to keep the Avs hands full. Yanni Gourde brings championship experience and Philipp Grubauer brings … well … Avalanche experience.
Defense:
Seattle allowed the least amount of SOG per game in the NHL during the regular season (27.0), and Josh Manson plus Cale Makar are both set and ready to return to play Tuesday. I have no doubt they are no match for even Seattle’s best. If Bednar’s regulars are Bowen Byram, Samuel Girard, Manson, Makar and Devon Toews, he’ll have to scratch Erik Johnson or Jack Johnson on a game-by-game basis. That is an ideal problem to have in the postseason. Too many damn good defensemen facing a team who has literally no playoff experience? Sign me up.
Seattle wins if:
The Seattle Kraken win if they catch Colorado off guard. Colorado has made a habit of losing easy games this season. If Seattle can consistently find the holes in Colorado’s forward lines, they might have a chance at taking down the reigning cup champions. If they plan on doing this though, their defense needs to be a brick wall in front of Grubauer. I’ve been saying this since Grub was in burgundy & blue; a goalie is only as good as the defense in front of him.
Colorado wins if:
If Colorado’s intense defensive unit can mitigate the holes in the forward lines, they’re golden. I’m not worried about their abilities to do this. I am worried about them perhaps getting too big for their britches and thinking they might not have to work super hard for this series. Seattle is not going to go down without a hard fight.
Series Prediction:
At this point, if you can’t tell who my team is, I can’t help you.
I think this series is going to be fun to watch. Seattle is young and spunky and has nothing to lose but Colorado does have experience and everything to lose. I can’t say much…superstitions and such, so you didn’t hear this from me.
Colorado Avalanche in 5 games
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