Joel Kiviranta, Avalanche sink Kraken for seventh win in nine games ahead of holiday break

Corey Masisak, The Denver Post on Dec 22, 2024

Published in Hockey

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DENVER — The Avalanche needs a break after a grueling five-week stretch of travel, but the club has also finally started to pile up points like it expects.

Joel Kiviranta had a hat trick to set a new career-high in goals and points, while Mackenzie Blackwood made 17 saves on Sunday night to help the Avs defeat the Seattle Kraken, 5-2, at Ball Arena.

Kiviranta matched his career high in goals and put the Avalanche ahead with 7:59 remaining in the second period. A Seattle miscommunication led to the puck drifting out in the neutral zone, where Mikko Rantanen was able to start a 2-on-1 and feed Kiviranta for his eighth goal of the season.

He added empty-net tallies for goals Nos. 9 and 10, which put him at 12 points for the season — a new career best. Kiviranta’s previous eight-goal season came across 70 games for Dallas. Five of his 10 goals have come in the past three games.

Rantanen had three assists, while Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin had two points apiece for the Avs. They have won seven of nine heading into the break and are a season-best six games above .500 (21-15-0).

Blackwood did not face a lot of great chances, but Jaden Schwartz had a breakaway in the third period with Seattle down a goal. Blackwood stoned him, much to the delight of the Ball Arena crowd.

Blackwood has been a “volume goalie” at times in his career — a netminder who performs better when he faces more shots, not less. He’s going to have games like this with Colorado, and stops at key moments when he hasn’t been busy will be just as important as the nights when the Avs need him to make lots of saves.

The Avs scored a power-play goal for the third straight game to take a 1-0 lead. Colorado’s first chance with the extra man didn’t go very well, but Seattle offered a second one less than a minute later and the Avs took full advantage.

There have been a few go-to options for the Avs with the extra man over the past couple of seasons, and Cale Makar shooting from the top of the zone with Nichushkin providing the screen in front is one of them. It was Makar’s 11th goal of the season, which ties him with Columbus’ Zach Werenski for the most among defensemen.

Colorado’s power play was mired in a 5 for 48 funk after the loss to Vancouver six days prior, but that’s four goals in three games.

The Avs controlled the play for much of the first — a 3-0 advantage in power-play chances didn’t hurt — but Seattle scored on just its third shot of the game late in the period. Ross Colton and Calvin de Haan could not connect on a drop pass at the offensive blue line, and the Kraken scored on the ensuing rush. Jared McCann finished off the play after a nice feed from Shane Wright with 2:05 left.

Seattle’s recent addition, Kaapo Kakko, briefly gave the Kraken the lead with his first goal since a trade from the New York Rangers. Kakko scored off an offensive-zone faceoff win at 4:01 of the second.

MacKinnon lost that faceoff but immediately atoned. The Avs went on the attack immediately after the next faceoff. The reigning MVP drove to the net for a shot, and Nichushkin was there to clean up his rebound, 11 seconds after the Kakko goal.

Nichushkin now has 11 goals in 19 games since returning from a six-month suspension, including a goal in four straight contests. There are only five players in the league with more since Nichushkin made his season debut.

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