The Seattle Kraken can pull off an upset of epic proportions with a win on Friday when they host the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6 of their NHL playoff series. The Kraken stunned the Avalanche with a 3-2 win in Colorado in Game 5 to reclaim the series lead and push the defending Stanley Cup champions to the brink of elimination from this year’s playoffs. Wednesday’s victory marked the first time the Kraken have tallied consecutive wins in their past seven games. However, Seattle has won four of its past six on home ice. The Avalanche have avoided losing three in a row since early March but sport a 4-8 record in their past 12 when facing elimination from the postseason.

Now teetering on the brink, the Avalanche return to Seattle as -160 favourites on the Friday NHL odds. The Kraken sport lucrative +131 odds o fending the series in Game 6, while the odds of the total going UNDER 6.0 are pegged at -118.

Avalanche vs. Kraken NHL Betting Odds

With Wednesday’s victory, the Kraken have now knocked off the Avalanche in six of their past nine overall meetings. Nine of their past 10 head-to-head clashes have been settled by just a single goal, with 5.0 or fewer total goals getting scored eight times over that stretch, fuelling a reliable 8-1 run for the UNDER. In addition, road teams have earned the win in three of five games so far in the series.

For the first time in this series, the Krakens have emerged as favourites on the NHL playoff series prices, perched as -169 chalk while the Avs have tumbled to +150 underdogs.

Colorado Avalanche

For the second time in as many games, the Avalanche stumbled out of the gate in Game 5, spotting the Kraken a 2-0 lead after the first period. Colorado has now failed to score in the opening frame in the past two games, and has tallied just three total first-period goals so far in the series. The Avs’ offence did do a better job overall of keeping pace with the upstart Kraken after being outshot by a massive 43-22 margin while suffering a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 5. Nathan MacKinnon remained the team’s top performer while picking up a goal and an assist. However, the Kraken were effective at containing Mikko Rantanen, who was limited to one helper after scoring four goals over the previous two games. The growing off-ice speculation surrounding Valeri Nichushkin, who left the team after Game 2 under questionable circumstances has not helped matters.

Seattle Kraken

The newest addition to the Kraken lineup had an immediate impact on Wednesday night. Tye Kartye gave the Kraken a lead they would not relinquish with his first career NHL goal while stepping in for injured leading scorer Jared McCann. The recipient of a late cheap shot in Game 4 that earned Avs star Cale Makar a one-game suspension, it remains unclear as to whether McCann will be able to return on Friday. But even without the 40-goal scorer in the lineup, the Kraken continued to produce results while sticking to a team-first game plan, with 13 different Seattle players finding the back of the net so far in the series. That said, there has been no player that has played a bigger role in this team’s success than Philipp Grubauer. The former Avs goaltender has stopped 46 of 48 shots faced over the past two games, and has compiled a 5-2-1 record in his past eight starts versus his former teammates.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Avalanche vs. Kraken?

A mismatch on paper, the Kraken have proven that a complete team effort and highly motivated goaltender can topple even the fiercest opponents. With continued attention to defensive responsibilities, distributed scoring, and another big effort from Grubauer, the upset is in reach for Seattle, which offers a ton of value as a Game 6 home underdog.

Injuries

Colorado

Andrew Cogliano (C)

day-to-day Upper Body - 13 / 04 / 23

Bowen Byram (D)

Ques Tues Illness - 08 / 04 / 23

Darren Helm (LW)

Out indefinitely Lower Body - 05 / 04 / 23

Evan Rodrigues (C)

Prob Sun Concussion - 21 / 03 / 23

Artturi Lehkonen (LW)

Prob Thurs Finger - 14 / 03 / 23

Kurtis MacDermid (D)

Prob Mon Lower Body - 08 / 03 / 23

Valeri Nichushkin (RW)

Ques Sat Illness - 03 / 03 / 23

Josh Manson (D)

Out indefinitely Lower Body - 02 / 03 / 23

Kurtis MacDermid (D)

Ques Tues Concussion - 26 / 02 / 23

Valeri Nichushkin (RW)

Ques Wed Undisclosed - 15 / 02 / 23

Seattle

Vince Dunn (D)

Ques Tues Undisclosed - 10 / 04 / 23

Martin Jones (G)

day-to-day Hand - 09 / 04 / 23

Jaden Schwartz (LW)

Ques Tues Undisclosed - 08 / 04 / 23

Alex Wennberg (C)

Prob Sat Ear - 07 / 04 / 23

Oliver Bjorkstrand (RW)

Prob Thurs Personal - 04 / 04 / 23

Philipp Grubauer (G)

Ques Sat Illness - 21 / 03 / 23

John Hayden (C)

out for season Lower Body - 18 / 03 / 23

Jordan Eberle (RW)

Ques Sat Undisclosed - 11 / 03 / 23

Vince Dunn (D)

Ques Thurs Upper Body - 08 / 03 / 23

Oliver Bjorkstrand (RW)

Ques Sun Lower Body - 03 / 03 / 23

Injuries

Colorado

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Andrew Cogliano (C)	day-to-day	Upper Body - 13 / 04 / 23	4-5	2-6-1	+ -
Cogliano is managing an upper-body injury, and it is unclear if he will be available for Game 1 of the Western Conference first round.
Bowen Byram (D)	Ques Tues	Illness - 08 / 04 / 23	6-8	6-7-1	+ -
Byram has missed the previous two contests with an illness, leaving his status for Tuesday's tilt against the Oilers up in the air.
Darren Helm (LW)	Out indefinitely	Lower Body - 05 / 04 / 23	6-8	7-6-1	+ -
Helm is sidelined with a lower-body injury, and he will miss an undetermined length of time.
Evan Rodrigues (C)	Prob Sun	Concussion - 21 / 03 / 23	10-11	10-9-2	+ -
Rodrigues has been idle while going through the concussion protocol, but he is expected to return against the Coyotes on Sunday.
Artturi Lehkonen (LW)	Prob Thurs	Finger - 14 / 03 / 23	12-12	12-10-2	+ -
Lehkonen has been idle after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured finger, but he is expected to return to the lineup for Thursday's tilt versus the Jets.
Kurtis MacDermid (D)	Prob Mon	Lower Body - 08 / 03 / 23	13-15	13-13-2	+ -
MacDermid has been out of the lineup with a lower-body injury, but it is anticipated that he will return against the Blackhawks on Monday.
Valeri Nichushkin (RW)	Ques Sat	Illness - 03 / 03 / 23	13-17	15-13-2	+ -
Nichushkin is ailing from an illness, and it is up in the air if he will dress for Saturday's battle against the Stars.
Josh Manson (D)	Out indefinitely	Lower Body - 02 / 03 / 23	14-17	15-14-2	+ -
Manson is idle due to lower-body injury, and team officials have yet to provide an exact return date.
Kurtis MacDermid (D)	Ques Tues	Concussion - 26 / 02 / 23	16-17	15-15-3	+ -
MacDermid has been absent from the last four games while going through the league's concussion protocol, and it remains to be seen if he will be available Tuesday against the Sharks.
Valeri Nichushkin (RW)	Ques Wed	Undisclosed - 15 / 02 / 23	20-18	18-17-3	+ -
Nichushkin is battling an unknown ailment, and it remains to be seen if he will line up for Wednesday's matchup versus the Wild.

Seattle

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Vince Dunn (D)	Ques Tues	Undisclosed - 10 / 04 / 23	10-7	8-9	+ -
Dunn was held out of the previous game with an undetermined injury, and it is unknown whether he will suit up against the Golden Knights in Tuesday's showdown.
Martin Jones (G)	day-to-day	Hand - 09 / 04 / 23	11-8	8-10-1	+ -
Jones is bothered by a hand injury, and it is up in the air if he will be active for Game 1 of the Western Conference first round.
Jaden Schwartz (LW)	Ques Tues	Undisclosed - 08 / 04 / 23	11-8	8-10-1	+ -
Schwartz has been absent from the previous two contests with an unknown ailment, and it remains to be seen if he will face the Golden Knights on Tuesday.
Alex Wennberg (C)	Prob Sat	Ear - 07 / 04 / 23	12-7	9-10	+ -
Wennberg was lifted from the last contest due to an ear injury, but it is anticipated that he will suit up for Saturday's match with the Blackhawks.
Oliver Bjorkstrand (RW)	Prob Thurs	Personal - 04 / 04 / 23	13-8	10-11	+ -
Bjorkstrand has been away from the team for the birth of his child, but it is expected that he will return against the Coyotes on Thursday.
Philipp Grubauer (G)	Ques Sat	Illness - 21 / 03 / 23	16-11	13-13-1	+ -
Grubauer has sat out the last two games with an illness, and it is uncertain if he will dress for Saturday's showdown against the Predators.
John Hayden (C)	out for season	Lower Body - 18 / 03 / 23	16-12	13-14-1	+ -
Hayden has been designated to the injured reserve after having surgery for a lower-body injury, and he is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Jordan Eberle (RW)	Ques Sat	Undisclosed - 11 / 03 / 23	17-14	16-14-1	+ -
Eberle is dealing with an unknown issue, and it remains to be seen if he will lace up for Saturday's matchup with the Stars.
Vince Dunn (D)	Ques Thurs	Upper Body - 08 / 03 / 23	19-14	17-15-1	+ -
Dunn exited the last match due to an upper-body injury, and it has yet to be confirmed whether he will face off against the Senators on Thursday.
Oliver Bjorkstrand (RW)	Ques Sun	Lower Body - 03 / 03 / 23	21-14	18-16-1	+ -
Bjorkstrand was lifted from the previous game due to a lower-body issue, and it is unknown if he will participate in Sunday's showdown versus the Avalanche.