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Kraken Game 5 RECAP: Seattle pushes for history! Squids win 3-2!

Photography provided by @Jennthulhu on Instagram

I CAN RUN THROUGH A WALL FOR THESE KRAKEN. I MIGHT JUST DO THAT FOR FUN.

But First, ALL THOSE WONDERFUL HIGHLIGHTS!:

Game Notes:

  • Your TOI Leader was Adam Larsson, with 25:19 logged tonight.
  • So how ’bout them Kraken!? Seattle didn’t just show up ready to play, they absolutely frustrated the Avs all game long the exact way they did it in Game 4: lock down the top six for as long as you can, force Colorado to match the Kraken depth-for-depth, and rely on Grubauer to take care of the rest. The Kraken have the Avs absolutely locked down, and now have a chance to make history for themselves in Game 6.
  • This game in spite of itself was very light on penalties; though not for the lack of trying on the Avs part. Effectively turning Nathan MacKinnon into your personal lawyer instead of your best player serves nobody well, Colorado. It’s just embarrassing what they had him doing for the sake of going 0-for-2.
  • Well, now that I think about it, it might as well be the only thing he can do right now; Matty B and the first line have him effectively wrapped up for the rest of the series as far as I’m concerned. He’s been sub-50% in all the important possession metrics over the last couple of games, and I think the Avs are finally coming to their personal limit.
  • Oh yeah and uh…Jack Johnson didn’t help. That suspension really took the wind out of Colorado’s sails.
  • Gotta love* Seattle’s insistence on causing drama right up until the end. If they pull Georgiev in Game 6, you gotta bury that chance.

Editor’s Note: Can Seattle please play a normal game in any sport, please!? You’re killing us out here, guys.

We’ve got a lot of guys to give a hand to, so let’s hear it for:

  • Philipp Grubauer, again! He backstopped the Kraken to another big win off a 26 save, .929 SV% night. It’s crazy to think he set the league record for playoff wins by a German goaltender in Game 4, and now he gets to just push that as high as he can for the rest of the playoffs. Top class stuff from him.
  • Ollie Bjorkstrand, for once again being a holy terror in this series, driving the Avs nuts whenever he was in their end, and also while well outside of it. In a performance this good team-wide however, he was only able to get an assist on the night. It’s a shame, he was hunting for that goal. Maybe he’ll get it on Friday!
  • Morgan Geekie for getting the first shot of the second period, and once again ensuring that Seattle scored the first goal of the game, five games running. That’s dad strength, right there.
  • I’ll let Yanni Gourde and Carson Soucy share a spot because their combined efforts on Gourde’s goal was impressive. Also, Carson didn’t take an ill-advised penalty at all! He’s been on his best behavior and I give him a gold star for it.
  • But of course, if we’re all giving out plaudits, let’s make this clear: it is enormously hard to play NHL hockey and play it well. It is even harder to play it well enough to get a call-up as a rookie for an NHL playoff game. It’s even harder than all of that to then get into the lineup. On top of all of that…you need to also contribute by being more than a body. So let’s hear it most of all for Tye Kartye, who was the game-winning goalscorer of Game 5. Seal that puck in amber, kid. You deserve it and that First Star of the Game.
  • This is also extremely petty but I am also giving Will Borgen a plaudit for making Nathan MacKinnon act out and also get the ball rolling for Kartye. That was objectively very funny, Big Bill. Please keep doing that.

Let’s Re-Live this win through the numbers, provided in charts by NaturalStatTrick.com!


The Kraken return home on Friday night.

It is there at Climate Pledge Arena that Game 6 will be played, and the potential for the Kraken to make history for themselves begins.

That game will drop the puck at 7pm PT.

We will SEE YOU THERE, and if you’re going to game 6, it is your moral duty to shout the Avs out of the building.

And always remember:

Keep Calm, and Post Zoidberg When We Win.

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