Avalanche vs. Kraken Game 6 NHL playoff odds: Seattle can make history by eliminating defending Stanley Cup champions Friday

Between the 1999 playoffs and 2016, no team had repeated in the NHL as Stanley Cup champion, but it has happened twice since then: Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017, and Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021. The defending Cup champion Colorado Avalanche will not join that group should it lose to second-year franchise Seattle on Friday in Game 6 of their West first-round series in what should be a crazy atmosphere, as Seattle has quickly taken to hockey. The Avs are -160 favorites at Caesars Sportsbook, though, and will get back star defenseman Cale Makar from suspension.

The Kraken were not good at all as an expansion team in the 2021-22 campaign, finishing with just 60 points, the third-fewest in the league. But smart drafting and free-agent signings now have Seattle one victory from becoming the second team in league history to eliminate the reigning Stanley Cup champion in its first postseason appearance. The other was the 1926 Montreal Maroons (Montreal had two teams back then), who beat the Victoria Cougars in the Stanley Cup Final. The Kraken can thus become first team to do it their first-ever postseason series.

Seattle has won the past two games by 3-2 scores to take a 3-2 lead in the series and is a -170 favorite to win it with Colorado at +143. The Avalanche never trailed once in a series last year and only lost a total of four games during their title run.

Might the Kraken have found another good young player – forward Matty Beniers is going to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in the regular season – in Tye Kartye? He led all AHL rookies in scoring this season with 57 points en route to Rookie of the Year honors, made his NHL debut in Game 5 for the Kraken and scored for a 2-1 lead. Kartye was already in Colorado prior to Game 5 because his Coachella Valley Firebirds were facing the Colorado Eagles in the Pacific Division Semifinals of the AHL's Calder Cup Playoffs. His parents witnessed Wednesday's goal from the Ball Arena stands.

Kartye was called up because of an injury suffered by Seattle regular-season top goal scorer Jared McCann (40G, 30A) in Game 4 that forced him to miss Game 5. McCann was injured on a late hit from Makar in the first period and probably won't play Friday, either.

Before Kartye, the last player to score a goal while making his NHL debut in the playoffs was Makar for Colorado in 2019. The reigning Norris Trophy winner and Conn Smythe Trophy winner was suspended for Game 5 for the McCann hit but is back for Game 6. Makar has a goal and two assists in the series and a plus-3 rating. Game 7, if necessary, is back in Denver on Sunday. 

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