Cale Makar became the fastest defenseman to 250 career points in NHL history, getting an assist on the go-ahead goal as the Colorado Avalanche spoiled Seattle’s home opener with a 4-1 victory over the Kraken on Tuesday.
Makar reached the plateau in 241 games, six fewer than it took Hall of Famer Bobby Orr.
Artturi Lehkonen, Logan O’Connor, Mikko Rantanen and Valeri Nichushkin scored for Colorado, which won its third straight to start the season. Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev made 37 saves.
Kailer Yamamoto scored for the Kraken, and Philipp Grubauer stopped 24 of 27 shots. Seattle has managed just three goals in its 0-3-1 start.
The Avalanche, who lost to Seattle in seven games in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring, scored twice in the second period to overcome a 1-0 deficit.
Lehkonen tied it at 3:50 of the second, picking up a loose puck between the hash marks at the inside of the right faceoff circle and firing a one-timer past a screened Grubauer. The goal was unassisted after teammate Nichushkin had the puck poked off his stick as he drove into the low slot.
O’Connor scored a short-handed goal at 11:50 of the middle period to give Colorado the lead.
Makar gained possession behind his net and rimmed the puck high off the glass and all the way to Seattle’s end of the rink. O’Connor outskated Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn to pick up the puck at the top of the left faceoff circle and beat Grubauer with a forehander from the top of the crease.
Rantanen made it 3-1 at 13:45 of the third on a one-timer from the right faceoff circle after taking a pass from Samuel Girard. Nichushkin added an empty-netter at 16:46.
The Kraken opened the scoring at 15:09 of the first period. Seattle broke over the Colorado blue line on a three-on-two rush, with Tye Kartye putting a shot from the low slot off the crossbar. Dunn picked up the rebound in the high slot and fed Yamamoto near the goal line on the left wing. He lifted a sharp-angled shot over Georgiev’s shoulder. It was the first goal Yamamoto, a native of Spokane, Wash., scored with the Kraken.
–Field Level Media
