The Colorado Avalanche host the Seattle Kraken to start the Western Conference first round. The teams meet Friday for the fourth time this season. The Kraken went 2-1 against the Avalanche during the regular season. In their last regular season meeting on Oct. 21, the Kraken won 3-2.
Colorado has a 51-24-7 record overall and a 22-13-6 record in home games. The Avalanche have scored 274 total goals (3.3 per game) to rank 10th in league play.
Seattle is 46-28-8 overall and 26-11-4 in road games. The Kraken have a +37 scoring differential, with 289 total goals scored and 252 allowed.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nathan MacKinnon has 42 goals and 69 assists for the Avalanche. Mikko Rantanen has seven goals and 11 assists over the past 10 games.
Jared McCann has scored 40 goals with 30 assists for the Kraken. Daniel Sprong has two goals and five assists over the past 10 games.
INJURIES: Avalanche: Josh Manson: out (lower body), Darren Helm: day to day (lower body), Pavel Francouz: out (lower body), Denis Malgin: day to day (undisclosed), Gabriel Landeskog: out (knee), Cale Makar: day to day (lower-body), Andrew Cogliano: day to day (upper body).
Kraken: Martin Jones: day to day (undisclosed), Joonas Donskoi: out (upper-body), John Hayden: out for season (lower body), Andre Burakovsky: out (lower-body).
