Kraken buried by Avalanche, 5-1

SEATTLE — Mikko Rantanen and Ross Colton scored two minutes apart midway through the second period and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Seattle Kraken 5-1 on Monday night.

Cale Makar, Jonathan Drouin, and Valerie Nichuskin also scored for the Avalanche. Nathan MacKinnon had three assists, and Jonathan Toews and Tomas Tatar each had two for Colorado. Alexandar Georgiev had 18 saves as Colorado won two of three in the season series, with the road team winning each time.

The win was coach Jared Bednar’s 300th, coming in his 550th game. He is the franchise’s all-time winningest coach.

Brandon Tanev scored his first of the season for Seattle, making his return to action after suffering a lower body injury in the season opener at Vegas on Oct. 10. Joey Dacord finished with 26 saves.

Rantanen lifted Colorado into a 1-1 tie with 7:55 left in the second period. MacKinnon had a shot from the left circle that went off the side of the net. It bounced to Rantanen who swept it in for his 10th goal in 14 games. It is the second straight season Rantanen had tallied his 10th in fewer than 15 games.

Colton gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead with 5:48 left in the period when he was at the left post to poke in the rebound of Devon Toews’ shot that had bounced off the chest of Dacord. It was his fourth of the year.

Makar made it 3-1 at 4:14 of the third with his fourth. Drouin’s goal at 9:09 was his first. Nichuskin’s with 3:17 left was his third.

Vince Dunn set up Tanev’s goal with a hard shot from the left circle. The puck rebounded to Tanev at the right post, and he shoveled it in at 6:13 of the first period.

UP NEXT: Kraken at Oilers on Wednesday night.

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AVALANCHE 5, KRAKEN 1