Kraken stun defending champion Avs in Game 7

Seattle Kraken defensemen Jamie Oleksiak, center, Adam Larsson, left and center Jaden Schwartz, right, celebrate defeating the Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Kraken stun defending Cup champion Avalanche, win first-ever playoff series

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 5/1/23

The Seattle Kraken continued the theme of upsets in this year's postseason, stunning the defending Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche, 2-1, in Game 7 Sunday to earn their first series win as a franchise.

Seattle leaned on Oliver Bjorkstrand, who netted both Kraken goals and could've had a few more if not for the goalposts getting in the way.

After a scoreless first, Bjorkstrand scored at 3:24 and 7:22 of the second, giving the Kraken a 2-0 advantage. Miko Rantanen would get the Avalanche on the board before the end of the period, scoring on the powerplay at 19:32 to cut the deficit to 2-1.

TWO GOALS ON THE NIGHT FOR THE MAESTRO ‍ pic.twitter.com/KatdpwKEHn
— x - Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) May 1, 2023

In the third, the story was former Avs' netminder Philipp Grubauer, who shut down his old team to secure the win. Grubauer was spectacular between the pipes, turning away 33 of 34 Colorado shots.

Hours after the Florida Panthers dispatched the Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, it was the Avalanche's turn to taste an unlikely defeat. While it's a bitter end to a season filled with high hopes for Colorado, it's a huge first for the Kraken.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, Seattle became the first team in NHL history to win its first-ever playoff series against the defending Cup champion.

The Kraken now move onto the second round, where they'll take on the Dallas Stars.

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