Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 17 December, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Seattle Kraken at Colorado Avalanche: game preview

Puck drop20 Dec · 8:00 PM ET
VenueBall Arena
All-time meetings22 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Forty-two points apart last season

Seattle finished last season 27th in the league on 79 points. Colorado finished 1st on 121.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 23

Across 22 completed games, Colorado lead the head-to-head 14-6-2.

All-time record14-6-2Colorado's record in the series
Meetings played22This is number 23
2025-26 series—
Last 55-0Colorado
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
16 Apr 2026SEA 0 – COL 2——COL
12 Mar 2026COL 5 – SEA 1——COL
16 Dec 2025COL 5 – SEA 3——COL
22 Dec 2024SEA 2 – COL 5——COL
5 Nov 2024SEA 3 – COL 6——COL
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateSeattleColorado
16 Dec 202512-13-6 · 30 pts29th24-2-7 · 55 pts1st
12 Mar 202629-26-9 · 67 pts22nd44-11-9 · 97 pts1st
16 Apr 202634-37-11 · 79 pts27th55-16-11 · 121 pts1st

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 16 Dec 2025, Seattle were 29th in the league and Colorado 1st. By 16 Apr 2026 it was 27th and 1st.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Colorado out-attempted Seattle 217 to 179

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Seattle Kraken

179 att · 89 on goal · 4 G · 4.5%
Crease20 att · 2 G
Slot50 att · 1 G
Wing67 att · 1 G
Point34 att · 0 G
Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

Colorado Avalanche

217 att · 100 on goal · 12 G · 12.0%
Crease14 att · 0 G
Slot94 att · 8 G
Wing61 att · 3 G
Point41 att · 1 G
Neutral zone7 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Colorado have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

SeattleColorado
2.60xG for per game3.16
3.14xG against per game2.55
45.3%xG share55.4%
+4.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals+7.7
+1.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.1

This season: 4 games for Seattle, 2 for Colorado. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Seattle

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 20th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2772.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2672.2% · 31st
Faceoffs · 2026-2749.6% · 121/244
Drawn · 2026-2712 (3.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Colorado

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2744.4%
Power play · 2025-2617.1% · 27th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2684.6% · 1st
Faceoffs · 2026-2746.8% · 58/124
Drawn · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
19Jared McCann41451.25
7Jordan Eberle42241.00
88Martin Necas22242.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
29Vince Dunn41341.00
62Brandon Montour40220.50
41Ryker Evans40220.50
42Josh Manson21231.50
8Cale Makar21231.50
7Devon Toews20221.00
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 18 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 18 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Seattle crease

SEA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Dec

Joey Daccord.9113 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.0
Philipp Grubauer.9062 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +1.1

No appearances against Colorado in the last meetings.

Colorado crease

COL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Dec

Mackenzie Blackwood.9122 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.1

No appearances against Seattle in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.3 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

16 Apr 20262 · SEA 0–2 COL
12 Mar 20266 · COL 5–1 SEA
16 Dec 20258 · COL 5–3 SEA
22 Dec 20247 · SEA 2–5 COL
5 Nov 20249 · SEA 3–6 COL

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Seattle3.752.752.763.21
Colorado7.002.503.682.48

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.3Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

Seattle · injuries

Jacob MelansonUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct
Jake O'BrienLower BodyIRReturn24 Oct
Ryan LindgrenUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn9 Oct

Colorado · injuries

Georgii MerkulovUndisclosedIRReturn16 Oct
Logan O'ConnorLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Trent MinerUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Zachary L'HeureuxLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
3 Oct · SEA

Activated RW/C Mackie Samoskevich from injured reserve. Placed RW Jacob Melanson on injured reserve.

27 Sep · SEA

Placed C Jake O'Brien and RW Mackie Samoskevich on injured reserve.

21 Sep · SEA

Placed F Jon-Randall Avon, F John Hayden, F Logan Morrison and G Victor Ostman on waivers.

27 Sep · COL

Placed LD Keaton Middleton, LD Wyatt Aamodt, RW/LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and LW Tristen Nielsen on waivers.

27 Sep · COL

Placed D Keaton Middleton, D Wyatt Aamodt, LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and G Mads Sogaard Nielsen on waivers.

25 Sep · COL

Reassigned Ds Domenick Fensore, Saige Weinstein and Christian Wolanin to Colorado (AHL).

Injury report
#7Chase ReidRound 1 · Sault Ste. MarieD
#38Casey MutrynRound 2 · Usa U-18RW
#99Viktor FedorovRound 4 · Torpedo-gorky NnC
#131Finn KearnsRound 5 · St. Andrews CollegeD
Full draft
#43Egor ShilovRound 2 · VictoriavilleC
#74Beckett HamiltonRound 3 · Red DeerC
#126Tobias TvrznikRound 4 · WenatcheeG
#128Axel ElofssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.D
Full draft

Updated after every final