DENVER (AP) — Joel Kiviranta tallied a hat trick, scoring three goals, including twice into an empty net, as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-2 on Sunday night. Nathan MacKinnon extended his streak of two-assist games to three, while Valeri Nichushkin and Cale Makar also found the back of the net to secure Colorado’s third consecutive victory. Mikko Rantanen and Makar each contributed two assists, assisting in the Avalanche’s sweep of the three-game season series against the Kraken. Kiviranta sealed the win with a pair of late empty-net goals, marking his first regular-season hat trick.
Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 17 shots, improving to 3-1 since joining the Avalanche in a trade that sent Alexandar Georgiev to San Jose. Seattle, coming off a 6-2 loss in Vegas the previous day, struggled early in the game but showed resilience as the contest progressed. Jared McCann and Kaapo Kakko scored for the Kraken, who have now dropped five consecutive games. Joey Daccord made 24 saves for Seattle.
In a noteworthy moment, Nichushkin responded just 11 seconds after Kakko’s goal had briefly given Seattle a 2-1 lead in the second period. According to NHL Stats, only on two other occasions this season have both teams combined to score goals faster.
Key statistics from the game include Makar, Rantanen, and MacKinnon combining for a goal for the 10th time this season, the most among all trios in the league.
Looking ahead, Colorado is set to face Utah on Friday following the holiday break, while Seattle will take on Vancouver on Saturday.
