THN.com/podcast. From THN On The 'Dub': Reflecting on Connor Bedard's WHL Season as Round 2 Begins Oliver Bjorkstrand [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk3NjMwMTg2NjQ3MjAxMDY5/usatsi_20572270.jpg] Oliver Bjorkstrand The defending Stanley Cup champions were knocked out of the playoffs at the hands of the Seattle Kraken. The Western Conference’s only Game 7 of the first round went down in Denver on Sunday night, with the Kraken taking the lead early and hanging on for a 2-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche. Oliver Bjorkstrand was the Game 7 hero, scoring three minutes into the second period and adding another goal four minutes later to make it 2-0 for the Kraken. Mikko Rantanen responded late in the second frame to cut the lead to one. The Avalanche thought they tied it up in the third period, but after a coach's challenge, it was called off for offside. Many thought this series wouldn’t get to seven games. Last year’s Cup champions went on a tear to climb to the top of the Central Division, and they faced a wild-card team in its second year of NHL action. Seattle proved many people wrong. It started in Game 1 when Eeli Tolvanen gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead in the match. After Rantanen tied it up, Alex Wennberg scored in the second, and Morgan Geekie added another in the third period to seal a 3-1 win for Seattle. The Kraken scored first in every game of this series, and they grabbed a 2-0 lead early in Game 2. But the Avalanche responded in the second off goals from Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin. Devon Toews gave Colorado the lead in the third period, and they held on to tie the series. Game 3 was a goal fest. The Avalanche took a 3-1 lead 4:33 into the second period, but the Kraken tied it up with goals from Jamie Oleksiak and rookie Matty Beniers. Colorado responded with another three goals and held on for a 6-4 victory to take a 2-1 series lead. Mikko Rantanen was the star for the Avalanche in Game 4, scoring twice in five minutes to come back from another 2-0 deficit to Seattle. This match needed extra time, and at 1:59 into overtime, Josh Manson was penalized for tripping. That gave the Kraken the power play, and Jordan Eberle cashed in to give the Kraken their first home playoff win in franchise history. Seattle continued to surprise the hockey world in Game 5. Morgan Geekie scored his second of the series, and Tye Kartye marked a memorable NHL debut with his first-career goal to give Seattle a 2-1 lead. Yanni Gourde's 3-1 marker held up as the game-winner in a 3-2 victory, bringing the Kraken one win away from eliminating the Avs. Colorado wanted no part of that. The Avalanche outshot the Kraken 39-23 in Game 6 and recorded a 4-1 victory, forcing a Game 7 back at home. There was a bit of controversy, however, as Eberle hit Avs veteran forward Andrew Cogliano in the boards. He was only given a two-minute penalty and was not suspended for the hit, but Cogliano was ruled out for the rest of the playoffs with a fractured neck [https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/andrew-cogliano-colorado-avalanche-injury-april-29-1.6827268]. The series finale was on Sunday night and saw Cale Makar play 26:09 in ice time while Nathan MacKinnon played for 25:39. MacKinnon also recorded his 100th-career NHL playoff point on the Avalanche's lone goal. But former Avalanche netminder and current Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer stood tall, stopping 33 of 34 shots as Seattle cracked down on Colorado's hope to go back-to-back. It was the first time an NHL franchise recorded its first series win against the reigning Cup winner. The Kraken will now face the Dallas Stars in the second round, with the Vegas Golden Knights facing the Edmonton Oilers in the other Western Conference second-round matchup. Seattle and Dallas play Game 1 on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET in Dallas, with Game 2 on Thursday.
