Kraken – Avalanche preview: Seattle seeks road fix in Colorado
The kraken – avalanche matchup on Thursday closes the regular season for Colorado and gives Seattle one last chance to steady a road trip that has gone sideways. Puck drop is set for 8: 15 p. m. MT, which is 10: 15 p. m. ET, with the Avalanche at home and the Kraken trying to end a five-game road losing streak. The game carries added attention because Colorado is finishing its schedule with playoff timing already in view, while Seattle is still searching for cleaner results away from home.
Colorado enters at 54-16-11 and has been strong at home with a 25-9-6 record in its own building. Seattle comes in at 34-36-11 and has gone 15-19-6 on the road, with the club carrying a minus-31 scoring differential and 255 goals allowed.
Kraken – Avalanche projected lineups and key absences
The kraken – avalanche projected lineups show both teams managing notable absences. For Seattle, Bobby McMann, Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle are listed on the top line, while Kaapo Kakko, Shane Wright and Jan Nyman make up the second. Berkly Catton, Chandler Stephenson and Eeli Tolvanen are on the third line, and Ben Meyers, Frederick Gaudreau and Ryan Winterton are on the fourth.
Seattle scratches listed are Ryan Lindgren, Jaden Schwartz, Eeli Tolvanen and Nikke Kokko. Injured Kraken players listed are Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord with lower-body injuries, along with Jared McCann, also listed with a lower-body injury. The Kraken did not hold a morning skate after a 4-1 loss at the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
Colorado’s projected forward group has Artturi Lehkonen, Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin on the first line, followed by Gabriel Landeskog, Nicolas Roy and Ross Colton. Parker Kelly, Jack Drury and Joel Kiviranta are listed on the third line, with Jason Polin, Alex Barre-Boulet and Logan O’Connor on the fourth.
The Avalanche scratches are Zakhar Bardakov, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas. Injured Colorado players listed are Nazem Kadri with a finger injury and Josh Manson with an undisclosed injury. MacKinnon and Necas missed the morning skate and are expected to be rested.
What Colorado is weighing before Game 1
Jared Bednar said he expects his full roster to be healthy for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday, and he is set to return to the bench after missing the past two games with facial fractures and a corneal abrasion. That matters here because Colorado is treating the regular-season finish with the playoffs already close at hand.
Two Colorado players, Alex Barre-Boulet and Jason Polin, were recalled from the Colorado American Hockey League team on Thursday. That adds another layer to the final lineup picture as the Avalanche balance rest, health and game-ready depth.
Recent form and the pressure on Seattle
The kraken – avalanche meeting is the third matchup between these teams this season, and Colorado won the previous meeting 5-1. Seattle enters with a 2-7-1 record over its last 10 games, averaging 2. 1 goals while giving up 3. 4 per game. Colorado is 6-3-1 over its last 10, averaging 3. 3 goals and allowing 2. 2.
Top performers remain part of the spotlight. Nathan MacKinnon has 53 goals and 74 assists for Colorado, while Jordan Eberle has 26 goals and 29 assists for Seattle. Parker Kelly has four goals and two assists over the past 10 games, and Bobby McMann has scored four goals with one assist in that same stretch.
What happens next is straightforward: Colorado closes the regular season at home, then turns fully toward Sunday, while Seattle tries to leave this kraken – avalanche matchup with something more stable than a road losing streak and a result that can reset the final stretch.
