Tag: Seattle Kraken

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Andrew Cogliano diagnosed with broken neck after hit from Jordan Eberle.

The Colorado Avalanche are absolutely furious with the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety, and now we’ve got a pretty good idea as to why.

On Friday night, veteran Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano was on the receiving end of a nasty looking hit from Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle. The hit immediately looked terrible, with Cogliano going head first into the boards at a sickening angle, resulting in a penalty being called against Eberle.

Eberle only received a 2 minute minor at the time, much to the chagrin of the Avalanche, and following the game the Avalanche would receive no help from the Department of Player Safety either. The Department of Player Safety didn’t so much as levy a fine against Eberle, something that likely will only serve to make them look all that much worse given the most recent update on Cogliano’s status.

According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Cogliano has now been diagnosed with a fractured neck, and more specifically a fracture of the C5 Lamina. This is of course a very serious injury and as a result Cogliano has been ruled out “indefinitely” with no indication that he will return at any point during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

It is a huge loss for the Avalanche, one that will be very tough to swallow given the circumstances of Cogliano’s injury. It will be very interesting to see how both teams respond in Game 7 of this series.

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Jared Bednar calls out NHL Player Safety after Eberle folds Cogliano like an accordion.

The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety has been the subject of much criticism since its inception and now it seems they have rubbed the Colorado Avalanche the wrong way.

The Avalanche were up in arms following the conclusion of Game 6 on Friday night thanks in large part to a dangerous hit from Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle. Eberle’s hit sent veteran Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano crashing into the boards with Cogliano’s head absorbing a good part of the impact and it looked as though Cogliano could have been seriously injured on the play.

Although Eberle was awarded a 2 minute minor penalty for the infraction, the Avalanche clearly felt that a major should have been assessed given the dangerous nature of the hit. In spite of that belief, the Avalanche would not get their way and star forward Nathan MacKinnon expressed his disbelief at the decision from the officials.

The Avalanche were left to rely on the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for any additional discipline to Eberle, but on Saturday it was revealed that the league would not be suspending Eberle, nor would they be issuing a fine, for Eberle’s hit to Cogliano.

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar expressed his own disbelief at the decision from Player Safety.

“I don’t know,” said Bednar. “I can’t figure it out anymore. I don’t even try.”

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Nathan MacKinnon tears into officials after Game 5 loss

The Denver Gazette

The defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche find themselves on the brink of elimination after they dropped last night’s matchup against the Seattle Kraken in Game 5 of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. 

Seattle was powered by Tye Kartye lightning the lamp in his NHL debut, along with former Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer making 26 saves in the win. For Kartye, he became the 8th player in NHL history to score his first goal in his first playoff game. 

And immediately ahead of Kartye’s goal, Avalanche star forward Nathan MacKinnon slammed his stick on the boards in frustration after not getting a tripping call when he appeared to have been clipped by Seattle’s Will Borden.

MacKinnon wasn’t able to back check quick enough, and before you knew it, the Kraken took the lead that they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the night. And afterward, he voiced his frustration at not getting the call while also admitting that his reaction wasn’t the correct move. 

“I get five feet on a guy, and he takes my feet out,” MacKinnon said after Colorado’s 3-2 loss. “I don’t know what to do. It’s not 1975. I feel like that’s a trip.”

“I’ve got to keep my cool there better,” he continued. “I can’t get upset. It’s on me there.”

The Avalanche were already playing without reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winning defenseman Cale Makar, who was suspended due to his hit of Jared McCann in Game 4. 

Both teams will get back at it at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena tomorrow night starting at 10:00 PM EST. 

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NHL drops the hammer on Avalanche D Cale Makar

Sports.MyNorthwest.com

If the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche are to re-take the lead in their Round 1 postseason series against the Seattle Kraken, they’ll have to do so without their most valuable member of the blue line. 

Defenseman Cale Makar has been suspended by the National Hockey League Department of Player Safety for the upcoming Game 5 of the series as punishment for his blatant interference on Kraken forward Jared McCann during the 1st period of last night’s Game 4 at Climate Pledge Arena.

For those who may not have seen it, here is the play in question. Makar chased McCann into the corner following the latter’s breakaway attempt and crushed him into the boards. McCann was injured and did not return to the game, and will not be playing in Game 5.

The Avalanche are already without the services of Russian forward Valeri  Nichushkin for potentially the remainder of the 2023 postseason due to a personal issue stemming from an alleged incident at the team hotel in Seattle. 

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NHL Insider reveals stunning details behind Valeri Nichushkin’s departure

The Athletic

The Colorado Avalanche have been without forward Valeri Nichushkin for their last two postseason games against the Seattle Kraken due to, as they put it, “personal reasons”. Nichushkin was designated a late scratch prior to Game 3, and was reported to have gone to the airport and departed Seattle. 

But now, some stunning new details have emerged via Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff. 

As Seravalli mentioned while making an appearance on the “Halford & Brough in the Morning” show on Vancouver’s Sportsnet 650, Nichushkin’s absence from the Avalanche is reportedly due to an alcohol-related incident at the team hotel in Seattle.

“I’ve been working on the story as well,” Seravalli said. “This is a tough one because, you’re staring to blur the lines of personal and, you know, what part of it should be out there publicly. That’s something we’re all sifting through. My sense is that there was an alcohol-related incident that occurred. And I don’t know what the next steps are, I don’t know the depth of it, but it’s clear that something happened at the team hotel on Friday night that necessitated the Colorado Avalanche to get in solved.” 

“So, there is something ongoing – I don’t know exactly what that is, but I’m working to find out more information while also trying to gauge how much of that should remain private, and how much of it, given the situation, should be public.” 

The segment on Nichushkin can be heard here (Hour 2, begin at 19:40). 

Meanwhile, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar stated today that it would be “unbelievable” if Nichushkin were to return during this postseason. 

“I do not know,” Bednar said. “I just don’t know. It’s personal reasons. If he came back to play in this series it would be unbelievable.”

Nichushkin appeared in 53 games for the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche this season, scoring 17 goals while adding 30 assists. He was a force in Colorado’s title run last season, tallying nine goals in 20 playoff games and helping the Avalanche to their first Stanley Cup since 2001. 

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Avalanche D Cale Makar facing discipline from NHL

NHL.com

It was an exciting night in the Emerald City last night, as the second-year Seattle Kraken earned their first ever playoff overtime victory with a thrilling 3-2 triumph over the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. Jordan Eberle’s power-play goal shortly into the extra session pushed Seattle over the top, enabling them to tie their series at two games apiece and setting up a best of 3. 

However, there was one play over the course of the game that garnered extra scrutiny, and could result in punishment for an Avalanche superstar.

Defenseman Cale Makar absolutely trucked Kraken forward Jared McCann into the boards during the 1st period with the puck nowhere nearby, and the latter was clearly shaken up. He would go right to the dressing room and did not return to action; according to head coach David Hakstol, he won’t be available to play in Game 5. 

Meanwhile, Makar could be facing discipline from the NHL, as he will be facing a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety.

Makar would explain that he didn’t know where the puck was, and thought McCann was heading into the corner to retrieve it.

“I didn’t feel like I tried to finish him that far,” Makar said of the hit. “I feel like if I was in that scenario they would have done the exact same thing. I’m not trying to hurt anybody.”

What should Makar’s punishment be? 

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Jared Bednar shares a shocking update on Valeri Nichushkin.

The Colorado Avalanche picked up a big win in Game 3 of their opening round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Seattle Kraken, but perhaps the biggest news of the night would come following the conclusion of the game itself.

During his post-game comments, Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar would drop a bombshell as it pertains to veteran forward Valeri Nichushkin. Nichushkin, who was notably absent from Game 3 on Saturday night, sounds like he will be absent from the team for some time with Bednar revealing that he has left due to “personal reasons.”

Those comments on their own would come as a shock during a time like the Stanley Cup playoffs, but they were amplified several times over when Bednar revealed that he had no idea when the 28 year old winger might return. Bednar confirmed that Nichushkin is no longer in Seattle, but when asked about whether or not this could be a long term situation the Avalanche coach appeared to be at a loss.

“I have no idea,” admitted Bednar in his post-game comments.

Nichushkin has been a staple of the Avalanche’s forward group for several seasons now and appeared in 53 regular season games this season, recording 17 goals and adding 30 assists for a total of 47 points. This will be a huge loss for the Avalanche moving forward, especially if this does prove to be a long term absence from the Russian forward.

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Western Conference playoff matchups officially set

GamblingSites.org

First, the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference postseason matchups were set in stone. And thanks to the victory tonight by the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, we now know the Western Conference postseason matchups. 

Colorado’s victory officially crowned them as the winners of the Central Division, and they’ll be taking on the second year Seattle Kraken in what will be their first ever playoff appearance. Colorado will be facing a few familiar faces, as former Avalanche players Philipp Grubauer and Andre Burakovsky, the latter of whom was part of last year’s Cup winning team, now play for Seattle. 

For the second consecrative season, it will be the Edmonton Oilers facing the Los Angeles Kings in the first round. The Oilers became the first NHL team since 1996 to feature three different players who eclipsed the 100-point mark in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, while this will be the first postseason for Los Angeles without goaltender Jonathan Quick between the pipes since 2002. 

Speaking of Quick, he and his new Vegas Golden Knights teammates are taking on the Winnipeg Jets, who grabbed the last remaining playoff spot in the Western Conference. This will be their first playoff matchup since the 2018 Western Conference Finals that saw Vegas advance in their inaugural season to within three wins of the Stanley Cup. It also marks the postseason debut of former 2015 No. 2 overall pick Jack Eichel. 

And for the first time since 2016, it will be the Dallas Stars taking on the Minnesota Wild. The Stars took down the Wild in their opening round postseason series that year, the first time that the two had faced one another beyond the regular season. It was especially ironic, given that the original Minnesota North Stars left the State of Hockey to become the Dallas Stars in 1993, while Minnesota regained an NHL expansion franchise in the Wild in 2000. 

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Eddie Olczyk appears to call out Leah Hextall for ‘imitating’ John Forslund’s goal call.

There was something of an unusual interaction on air during one of the National Hockey League broadcasts over the weekend, one that did not go unnoticed by attentive fans who caught every word of it.

Veteran NHL broadcaster Eddie Olczyk appeared to put fellow NHL broadcaster Leah Hextall on blast on Saturday, when he made some relatively vague allusions to famous calls being copied by other broadcasters. Olczyk’s tone during his comments appeared to indicate that he was clearly irritated by something, but he never called anyone out specifically or even so much as mentioned a name.

“It is the sincerest form of flattery right, is imitation?” asked a frustrated sounding Olczyk. “But if you are going to imitate somebody, like on a goal call, just make sure you give that person credit please. Ok? Right is that fair? JT that’s fair right?”

Fans were quick to put two and two together given the other people in the booth with Olczyk at the time of his comments, including fellow NHL broadcaster John Forslund who is the ‘JT’ referenced above. Earlier in the week, prior to Olczyk making these comments, Leah Hextall used Forslund’s famous “hey hey what do you say” during a game between the Seattle Kraken and Arizona Coyotes this past Thursday after the Kraken scored their 4th goal of the game.

You can hear both the clip that is suspected to have led to Olczyk’s comments, as well as the comments themselves in the short video below.

Here’s an example of Forslund doing the call himself, as he has done countless times in the past:

Do you agree with Eddie Olczyk on this one, if he was indeed calling out Hextall as many believe he was, or did he perhaps go a step too far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.