Kraken from Seattle
The new NHL franchise marked the major opening of the regular season. In addition to finishing in the top 16 teams, Seattle finished sixth in the regular season in scoring, averaging 3.5 goals per game. Such indicators have been made possible by a bold style of attack with high-quality forwards (Burakovski, Bernis, Sprong, McCann, Dunn, Schwartz, Gurd, etc.), whose leaders are not limited in freedom of action. Dave Huxtall’s team did quite well in the final stages, winning a series of victories against the outsiders, but the bar of competition with the leaders on the equator was not high.
Avalanche in Colorado
Colorado was kept “in ambush” for a long time due to injuries to significant players, and it was only after the equator of the regular season that it began to reach design opportunities, eventually becoming the 3rd team in the West. Everything could have gone even better if not for the serious injury of Landeskog, who will not play in the playoffs. This season is very important for the current Stanley Cup holders, they receive a lot of attention, but this has not yet been reflected in the results and in the last segment of the “avalanche” he lost only three times in the regular time.
Forecast
Seattle has caused a lot of problems for Jared Bednar’s team this season, not losing to them in regulation time, which is explained by home insurance. That’s the way it is, but Colorado has a lot of post-season experience in recent years, which in some way should also contribute to the “avalanches” cleaner in their area. The Krakens are ranked fifth in playoff points and play in an open style, which often leads to misfires in their zone, which the champions are sure to take advantage of. Colorado spent the second half of the regular season at the right level, and in the last 19 games they lost only twice in regular time. The presence of a sufficient number of great players, the style of the opponents and excellent condition should be arguments for a below-average total of pucks in the league.