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Kraken @ Avalanche PREVIEW: Defense High Priority Against Starved Colorado Offense

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Need to Knows:

  • The Time: 6:00 pm PT
  • The Place: Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado
  • Place to Watch: KHN, KONG, ALT, ESPN+
  • Place to Listen: Kraken Audio Network on KJR 93.3fm
  • An Opposing Viewpoint: Mile High Hockey

Know Your Enemy

Injury is taking the Colorado Avalanche by storm. Affliction to seven players has already cost the 2022 Stanley Cup champions more than 42 man games a month into the season, with more on the horizon. Yesterday, the Avalanche placed Miles Wood on IR retroactive to Oct 28, and recalled forwards Ivan Ivan, Nikolai Kovalenko, and Nikita Prishchepov from the AHL. All in all, the Avalanche should be without Wood, Ross Colton, Jonathan Drouin, and Gabriel Landeskog against the Kraken.

Artturi Lehkonen is set to make his season debut Tuesday night and Valeri Nichushkin– still wading through Stage 3 of the NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program– has been cleared to practice with the team. He’s expected to return to the lineup Nov 15. Perhaps things are looking up for Colorado, at least when it comes to health.

When it comes to performance, things are shaky. Suffering defeats to the Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Nashville Predators (all by a score of 5-2!) leaves Colorado following their five-game win streak with a three-game losing skid. They’re virtually at the mercy of criminal bad luck. Despite controlling 54.96% of the total five-on-five shot quality (5th) this season, the Avs’ shooting percentage (7.14%), PDO (94.75), and goals share (40%) sit at the bottom of the league. Plus, they’ve allowed 8.11 more goals than expected among three different goaltenders, with only the Philadelphia Flyers allowing more goals than expected.

Game Preview

If Colorado is struggling to score and save, Tuesday should be a window of opportunity for Seattle to snatch an easy two points, right? Well…

Seattle’s won a single game since last meeting Colorado at home seven games ago. Over that span they’re averaging 2.14 goals per game. And if you remove their eight-goal blowout win over the Montreal Canadiens? A goal a game. And, they enter Ball Arena on a shutout streak of more than 120 minutes since being blanked in two consecutive games versus the Ottawa Senators and the Boston Bruins.

While Colorado’s defense may be pliable, it remains to be seen whether Seattle has the grit to establish a consistently high quality offensive zone presence or to tighten things up defensively against a starved opponent. Results may not be showing up on the scoreboard for the Avs, but they’re clearly a productive team when it comes to underlying offensive stats. The Kraken are at risk of becoming the jump-start they need to get things rolling, and Joey Daccord can only do so much from his crease. Suffocating defense is a must.

Via HockeyViz

Talking Points