Game Three Preview: First playoff game in Seattle

1 year ago  /  Mile High Hockey  /  Read Time: 1 minute 46 seconds

Photo by Ashley Potts/NHLI via Getty Images


The Pacific Northwest will be rocking tonight.
Game Three with the Colorado Avalanche and Seattle Kraken sees the series shift to Seattle. Their first-ever playoff game at home in franchise history will come on a wild Saturday night which the city will eat up and back their team.
After splitting the series at Ball Arena, it is all to play for at Climate Pledge Arena. Seattle was the better team for four periods, but Colorado ramped up the heat in the last two periods of play and look to continue such a feat in the Emerald City.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avs took Game Two 3-2 after a disastrous first period. Whatever Jared Bednar said to his team to respond, it worked. Hopefully, they put it in a bottle and took it to Seattle.
They will look to be the team on top for the majority of the game, as they have been outworked and outhustled otherwise. A whole team performance is necessary, especially since this is how the Kraken has played this entire series.
Surprisingly, Nathan MacKinnon has only one point in the series, with an assist. Same goes for Cale Makar. If the big guns can get rolling and the depth is able to keep up, Colorado will look to grab a series lead.
Projected Lines
Artturi Lehkonen (62) - Nathan MacKinnon (29) - Evan Rodrigues (9)Valeri Nichushkin (13) - J.T. Compher (37) - Mikko Rantanen (96)Alex Newhoook (18) - Lars Eller (20) - Denis Malgin (81)Matt Nieto (83) - Darren Helm (43) - Logan O’Connor (25)
Bowen Byram (4) - Cale Makar (8)Devon Toews (7) - Sam Girard (49)Erik Johnson (6) - Josh Manson (42)
Seattle Kraken
Seattle has probably been the better team across the two games in the series, despite coming out on the losing end after Game Two. Their depth is their strength and has been key in this series.
Eeli Tolvanen has been class in this series, so far with a goal and an assist. Yanni Gourde has also done well with two assists. Both in the bottom six have provided brilliantly for their team.
Their forechecking has been excellent and forced errors out of the Avs. If they keep it up and continue to force Colorado to shoot themselves in the foot, they can grab the series lead themselves in their first-ever home playoff game behind a rambunctious crowd.
Projected Lines
Jared McCann (19) - Matty Beniers (10) - Jordan Eberle (7)Jaden Schwartz (17) - Alexander Wennberg (21) - Morgan Geekie (67)Eeli Tolvanen (20) - Yanni Gourde (37) - Oliver Bjorkstrand (22)Brandon Tanev (13) - Ryan Donato (9) - Daniel Sprong (91)
Vince Dunn (29) - Adam Larsson (6)Jamie Oleksiak (24) - William Borgen (3)Carson Soucy (28) - Justin Schultz (4)
Goaltenders
Surprise surprise, it will be Alexandar Georgiev and Philipp Grubauer in net again for their respective teams.
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