THN.com/podcast. From THN On The 'O': Shane Wright Discusses 'Crazy' Season So Far Nathan MacKinnon celebrates his second goal of the game during Saturday's 6-3 win over the Seattle Kraken. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk3NDU0NzgzNjcyNDkzOTc5/usatsi_20522099.jpg] Nathan MacKinnon celebrates his second goal of the game during Saturday's 6-3 win over the Seattle Kraken. Seattle is a sports town. On Saturday, those fans were all-in as the Seattle Kraken prepared to host their first-ever NHL playoff game. Throughout the city, Kraken sweatshirts and ball caps were easy to spot as residents went about their weekend activities on a stereotypically overcast Pacific Northwest afternoon. The rain held off, and at the party on the plaza outside Climate Pledge Arena, nearly every fan sported one of the Kraken's distinctive jerseys. Brandon Tanev's name was popular. So were Yanni Gourde and rookie Matty Beniers. The franchise and its fans are rightfully proud to have reached the post-season in just their second season, especially after logging a record-setting improvement of 40 points to get there. The flames of enthusiasm were stoked even higher after a 3-1 upset in Denver in Game 1 and a narrow 3-2 loss in Game 2. The Kraken had not just been invited to the party – they had a real chance to make some noise. But sprinkled among the faithful inside the arena walls were occasional splashes of the distinctive blue and burgundy color scheme of the defending Stanley Cup champions. On the backs of those Colorado Avalanche jerseys, the nameplates of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar served as reminders that some highly formidable opponents would be lining up on the other side of the ice. The Kraken scored first, turning the volume knob on the ear-splitting din even louder when Jaden Schwartz tipped a point shot from Justin Schultz past Alexandar Georgiev at 6:08 of the first period. "We were all looking forward to tonight, just like the whole city was," said Schwartz, a Stanley Cup-winner with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. "It was just exciting, one of those moments that you don't try to ignore too much. You just try to enjoy it and stay present. It was obviously a pretty cool one, seeing the fans." After the Avalanche used a shorthanded goal by J.T. Compher as a springboard to a 3-1 lead by the five-minute mark of the second, the home side sent the fans into another frenzy when Jamie Oleksiak and Beniers scored 19 seconds apart. The teams went to their dressing rooms in a 3-3 tie after 40 minutes. But then, the Avs' big guns went to work. Three minutes into the third, Rantanen played trailer on a rush down the ice and flipped a perfect pass from Devon Toews past Philipp Grubauer to restore Colorado's lead. Barely a minute later, MacKinnon added some style points with his second of the night, which, fittingly, held up as the game-winner. It's a bit surprising that these are just his first goals of the series. But MacKinnon has a well-deserved reputation for raising his game when it's needed, and he did put up a hat trick on the last night of Colorado's regular season to help the Avs clinch the Central and set their matchup with Seattle. "Whenever you get the opportunity as a coach to coach superstar players, you get in situations where games are even bigger and mean more and they're more important," said Colorado coach Jared Bednar after the game. "You know what you can expect from a guy like Nate — It's a high standard. He sets that standard. We hold him to it." But even with his team gaining ground and now holding a 2-1 series lead, Bednar is not taking anything for granted. "I think they're a really good hockey team," he said. "They're a deep hockey team. They work extremely hard, and they've bought into their system, and they compete within that." This year, there isn't much to choose between the teams in the Western Conference. Just nine points separated the division-leading Avalanche from the wild-card Kraken in the final regular-season standings. "Look at the teams that have made the playoffs in the West," Bednar said. "Every one of those teams deserves to be there. Every one of those teams is within, what is it? Three or four wins?" It's five wins, but his point stands. Colorado and Vegas finished with 51 wins, while Seattle, Minnesota and Winnipeg each had 46. The other three teams are in between. That's a pretty narrow differential over 82 games. "It doesn't matter what type of team you are at the start of the year or the middle of the year," he continued. "It's the type of team you are at the end of the year. We expected it to be tough. You don't get 100 points by accident. It's going to be a tough series." For his part, Kraken coach Dave Hakstol thought his group held up well amidst the hype of Saturday's historic contest — the first NHL playoff game in the city since the Seattle Metropolitans took on the Montreal Canadiens 104 years ago, in 1919. "We were loose. We were prepared. We were into this one, no question." he said. "I loved our start tonight. Loved the atmosphere, loved the building, all the fans. "The feel of the building, it was a playoff feel, so that part of it was awesome. "We didn't complete the first period, right?" Hakstol added. "Our start was tremendous. It has a real different look if we complete the first period in a different way." The fans at Climate Pledge Arena jump up in excitement as Jaden Schwartz scored the Kraken's first home playoff goal in their two-season history. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk3NDU0ODM5MjM4NjMzMzcx/usatsi_20520944.jpg] The fans at Climate Pledge Arena jump up in excitement as Jaden Schwartz scored the Kraken's first home playoff goal in their two-season history. Both sides also dealt with unexpected absences in their forward groups on Saturday. Bednar said after the game that Valeri Nichushkin is away due to a personal matter, and there's no timetable right now for his return. Seattle's Morgan Geekie was awaiting the birth of his first child. But while Schwartz's opening goal provided Seattle's only lead of the game, the fans hung in until nearly the bitter end. It wasn't until Rantanen hit the empty net to make the score 6-3 with 2:14 left in regulation that the stands began to empty. With 40 seconds to go, Schwartz scored again — a bookend to his game-opening goal, once again tipping a point shot from Schultz. There was one difference, though. It was the first power-play goal of the series for either side. Perhaps a momentum builder for Game 4? Rest is the next order of business for the Kraken — and their fans. Undoubtedly, the faithful will be back in full force on Monday when the doors at Climate Pledge open once again to welcome them in.
