How to watch Seattle Kraken at defending champ Colorado Avalanche (4/20/23): details, odds, time, free live stream
There are four NHL playoffs games Thursday night, and in all of them the road team will enter with a 1-0 series lead. That includes the second-year Seattle Kracken, who stunned the defending champion Colorado Avalanche 3-1 in their best-of-seven series opener on Tuesday night.
Game 2 will start at 9:30 p.m. Eastern and air on ESPN, with it live-streaming on fubo TV (7-day free trial), Sling TV (try the half-off discount) and DirecTV Stream.
It’s not that Seattle’s win Tuesday night out of nowhere. The Kraken finished fourth in the tough Pacific Division with 46 wins and 100 points, earning them a wild-card spot and a chance to play last year’s champions. Still, Seattle became only the 13th expansion franchise to earn a win in its first postseason game, according to NHL Stats.
Alex Wennberg had a goal and an assist, Eeli Tolvanen scored the first playoff goal in franchise history early in the first period, and Morgan Geekie sealed it with a goal in the third. Meanwhile, Philipp Grubauer stopped 34 shots to preserve the slim advantage.
- ESPN, and live-streamed on fubo TV (7-day free trial), Sling TV (try the half-off discount) and DirecTV Stream
By jumping out to a 1-0 lead, Seattle became the fourth team in the past 20 years to open the scoring in its first-ever playoff game. Tolvanen capitalized on a Colorado turnover to energize the Kraken and stun the crowd. Even after Mikko Rantanen scored nine minutes later to tie the game, the Kraken maintained their composure, taking a 2-1 lead into the third period and playing stout defense to stay in front.
They kept Colorado netminder Alexandar Georgiev on his toes, forcing him to make 27 saves to keep the Avalanche close.
Two other items of note. Rantanen’s goal comes after a season in which he had 55 goals, the most by an Avalanche player since the team moved to Denver before the 1995-96 season. Also, the Avalanche saw their streak of 10 straight first-round wins come to a halt. It was a string that included two sweeps and dated to 2020.
What will happen tonight? Tune in and find out.
AT A GLANCE
What: Game 2 of Western Conference playoffs
Who: Seattle Kraken at Colorado Avalanche
When: 9:30 p.m. Eastern
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver
TV: ESPN
Live-stream:fubo TV (7-day free trial), Sling TV (try the half-off discount) and DirecTV Stream
Odds: Avalanche -225; over/under is 6
