NHL playoffs: It's time to sta...

There were many reasons to mistrust the Seattle Kraken going into these playoffs.

The team, which was in only its second season, featured a rookie as its first-line center, a starting lineup without any players who scored more than 70 points during the regular season, and a goaltender staff with the third-worst save % in the NHL as a whole. The Colorado Avalanche was Seattle's unfortunate opponent for the first time in team history in the playoffs.

The Kraken initially seemed more like a feel-good tale than the potential cause of an upset due to a variety of variables, but thus far they have significantly surpassed expectations.

Seattle still has a lot to do to win the series, which is knotted 2-2, but the Kraken are fighting hard against the Avalanche. Their victory over Colorado in Game 4 demonstrated their capacity to thrash one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

Despite defeating the Avalanche 3-2 in overtime, the Kraken's performance was far better. Despite holding the puck considerably more often than the Avs, Seattle outshot them 42–23 and outhit them 52–36.

Additionally, the Kraken wasn't simply shooting pucks into the goal. They had a large majority of scoring opportunities (59.18%), high-danger scoring opportunities (73.91%), and projected goals (72.25%) at 5-on-5. The Avalanche struggled all night long in addition to losing.

Seattle is currently playing Colorado to somewhat better than a draw in each of those criteria for the entire series. Even though it might not seem unexpected, the Kraken had a 5-on-5 goal share (56.64%) that was surpassed only by the Boston Bruins throughout the regular season.

Seattle has demonstrated its ability to tilt the ice and control the puck extremely well, making the team dangerous when the goaltending is strong. All year long, it wasn't the case, yet the Kraken still managed to get 100 points.

Goaltending hasn't been a problem in this series. So far, Philipp Grubauer has been a rock-solid player in goal. The Avalanche, who saw the German record a.920 save percentage in 29 playoff starts with the team between 2018 and 2021, are surely not surprised by that.

After two unsuccessful regular seasons in Seattle, when he had a.891 save percentage and racked up -34.7 Goals Saved Above Average, Grubauer is difficult to trust. While the veteran has a strong playoff track record and is still physically capable at the age of 31, he might turn back into a pumpkin at any moment.

In addition to Grubauer, Seattle will also be concerned about the loss of Jared McCann, who has 40 goals and was hurt in Game 4. A significant blow to Colorado in Game 5 will at least lessen that loss. Cale Makar, a star defenseman, was given a one-game penalty for taking out McCann.

The odds are still in favor of the reigning champions finding a way to defeat the Avalanche despite the difficult road ahead. Seattle, though, merits a lot of praise for its performance.

The Kraken are still the underdogs, but they aren't simply content to be present. They pose a serious danger to one of the heavyweights in the NHL. They will have a historic first postseason series in team history if they keep playing like they did in Game 4.