The Colorado Avalanche embark on a brief road swing tonight as they face the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. On the surface, it’s just another regular-season matchup, but there’s an added layer of intrigue.

Avalanche assistant head coach Dave Hakstol, who helmed the Kraken from 2021 to 2024 and earned a nomination for the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year, confronts his former team for the first time since his dismissal on April 29, 2024.

It is worth noting that Hakstol served as head coach the very season following the Avalanche’s third Stanley Cup championship, when Colorado was ousted in the First Round of the playoffs by the very Kraken team he now faces.

Though Seattle is a relatively young franchise, a palpable tension has already developed between the teams. Cale Makar can expect a chorus of boos each time he touches the puck. Kraken supporters have yet to forgive him for the hit on Jared McCann during Game 4 of that aforementioned series, a play that sidelined their star for the remainder of what ultimately became a seven-game affair. McCann has since moved past the incident, which resulted in Makar receiving a one-game suspension—the first and only of his career—but the fans remain a different matter entirely. In hockey, grudges can last a lifetime.

Although the Kraken hold the statistical edge in the postseason, their regular season history with the Avalanche tells a different story.

Seattle has dropped its last several games against Colorado, including matchups in which the Avs’ goaltending was far from stellar. Nearly a year has passed since these two teams last faced off—on December 19 of last year, the Avalanche secured a 5-2 victory.

Joel Kiviranta recorded a hat trick on just five shots, while Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon each notched two assists. Cale Makar added a power-play goal, and Valeri Nichushkin also found the back of the net.

If past performance is any indication, the Avalanche could be in for a dominant showing. Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 26 goals and 55 points while ranking fourth in assists with 29, has amassed 14 points in his last five games against the Kraken. That's basically three points per game. Similarly, Cale Makar has been a formidable presence, contributing 12 points across his last seven matchups with Seattle. Both players have consistently found ways to crack the opposing defense.

Mackenzie Blackwood is projected to guard the crease. In 12 appearances this season, he has posted a 9‑1‑1 record, a .920 save percentage, and a 2.19 goals against average, which are both career-bests.

Jordan Eberle leads the Kraken with 19 points, including a team‑high nine goals, while also ranking tied for fifth in assists with 10.

Vince Dunn is tied for the team lead in assists with 13, adding a total of 18 points to rank second on the club and is tied for fifth in goals with five.

Matty Beniers also sits atop the team in assists with 13 and ranks tied for third in overall points at 17.

Jared McCann has scored in three consecutive games against the Avalanche, racking up four points over that span.

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas

Gabriel Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin

Victor Olofsson — Ross Colton — Gavin Brindley

Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Joel Kiviranta

Devon Toews — Cale Makar

Josh Manson — Brent Burns

Samuel Girard — Sam Malinski

MacKenzie Blackwood

Scott Wedgewood

Eeli Tolvanen — Matty Beniers — Jordan Eberle

Kaapo Kakko — Chandler Stephenson — Frederick Gaudreau

Jani Nyman — Shane Wright — Ryan Winterton

Tye Kartye — Ben Meyers — Jacob Melanson

Vince Dunn — Adam Larsson

Ryan Lindgren — Brandon Montour

Ryker Evans — Jamie Oleksiak

Joey Daccord

Philipp Grubauer

It's primetime on TNT. It's a late one. Coverage of the game will start at 8 p.m. local time.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.