Kraken hold on to beat Avalanche in Game 5, can clinch series in Seattle
DENVER — What seemed a rather far-fetched dream when this opening-round series began last week has morphed into something increasingly real for a Kraken group looking to stun the hockey world.
The Kraken will head home to Climate Pledge Arena for a Friday night Game 6 clash that can eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche far earlier than just about any North American pundit dared predict. That became their new reality after a 3-2 win Wednesday night over the Avalanche in Game 5 of their series, a contest that saw the Kraken deploy the same tight-checking formula that confounded Colorado for much of the four prior contests played.
Colorado drew within a goal with 3:37 to go in regulation time, pulling goalie Alexandar Georgiev and seeing an Evan Rodrigues shot deflect off Kraken players Alexander Wennberg and Jamie Oleksiak and in behind goalie Philipp Grubauer. But the Kraken survived a frantic final few minutes with the Avalanche goalie again pulled, this time hanging on for the pivotal win.
Game 5 winners that take a 3-2 series lead have gone on to win 78.6% of all NHL best-of-seven playoff series. The Kraken have built their 3-2 lead by taking two of three games at Ball Arena and splitting a pair at Climate Pledge, where their home crowds have been the loudest they’ve seen since the franchise’s recent inception.
Adding to the frustration for the ordinarily high-scoring Avalanche, who played this game without suspended defenseman Cale Makar, was the opportunistic Kraken scoring two goals by Morgan Geekie and Ty Kartye on their first four shots of the second period. And while Nathan MacKinnon got one back for the home side on a poor clearance attempt by Grubauer, the Kraken went up a pair early in the third when workhorse Yanni Gourde deflected a Carson Soucy wrist shot from the left point behind Georgiev.
For the Kraken, seeing farmhand callup Kartye score the go-ahead goal midway through the second period — snapping a 1-1 tie — amounted to some poetic justice for what happened to them early in Game 4. Kartye was making a fill-in NHL debut, replacing Jared McCann after he was felled by a late Makar blow Monday night that led to the reigning Norris Trophy winner’s suspension.
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The Kraken were without McCann in this one and very unlikely to see him again in Game 6, but looked strong without their 40-goal man by again shutting the high-powered Avalanche down in the game’s early stages. Colorado was outshot 15-8 by the Kraken in a scoreless first period and then saw the visitors open the scoring for the fifth time this series.
It took far longer for the Kraken to do it this time, with Geekie slotting home a rebound off a Jaden Schwartz shot at the 6:35 mark of the middle period. Schwartz’s shot had been the first by either team that frame despite a pair of power-play chances for both — an indication of just how tight-checking the play had gotten.
Colorado managed to tie the game just two minutes later when Grubauer’s errant clearing attempt was intercepted by Mikko Rantanen — whose ensuing shot from the sideboards was redirected home by MacKinnon.
But just when the home crowd began finding its voice and lungs again, Jordan Eberle found Kartye alone in the slot for a bang-bang pass and one-timed shot that ended up in the net.
That goal seemed to shock the crowd. It also apparently threw a scare into the Avalanche, who began playing more desperate hockey — laying on the body heavily and pouncing on every loose puck.
Despite his earlier miscue, Grubauer seemed to get better as the game wore on. He denied the Avalanche on several opportunities as the second period wore down.
Then, early in the third, Gourde would silence the crowd almost completely by getting his stick on Soucy’s shot and sending the puck behind a screened Georgiev. The game was not yet won and the series still isn’t, but reality was creeping in on the Avalanche and their fans from all directions.
Now, it will be up to the Avalanche to stay alive on hostile turf. And the Kraken to finish them off for good.
Source: The Seattle Times
