Seattle needs to “cheat a little bit more” on faceoffs vs. Avs, Kraken coach Dave Hakstol says

SEATTLE — The Avalanche’s first-round playoff series has unfolded with an ironic plot twist: domination in the faceoff circle.

Seattle Kraken coach Dave Hakstol thinks the solution is to cheat more.

“Honestly, if I’m being blunt, we’ve gotta be smart and cheat a little bit more,” Hakstol told reporters Sunday between Games 3 and 4 in Seattle. “Colorado is doing a better job of that, and they’re getting away with it in the dot.”

The Avalanche finished the regular season at 46.7% on the draw, ranking fifth-worst in the NHL. But the only team to qualify for the playoffs with a worse win rate was the Kraken, the No. 31 team in the league at 45.3%.

Not only has Colorado won 97 faceoffs to Seattle’s 75 (56.4% win rate) through three games; four Avalanche goals in the series have stemmed directly from offensive zone draws.

“We look at every faceoff. We feel that way lots of times against other teams as well,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said when asked about Hakstol’s comments. “The referee group has brought attention to it. You see the success Dallas had in Game 1 (vs. Minnesota). There are some guys who are pretty good at getting away with stuff.”

The Stars won 61 draws to the Wild’s 47 in that series opener. It’s a matchup Bednar and the Avs need to pay extra attention to, with the winner of their series meeting the winner of that one in the second round.

At 58.4%, Dallas also led the league in draws during the regular season, so if Colorado advances, that advantage might disappear quickly. Minnesota, on the other hand, is No. 26 in the NHL at 47.7%.

“We always just watch to make sure the faceoff is fair,” Bednar said. “I think everyone finds a way to cheat a little bit here and there, but the referees are focusing on that, and they have some veteran linesmen in the series. They keep talking to our guys all the time about, ‘Hey, you can’t do that,’ and they’re kicking guys out here and there. I think they’re doing a good job managing it. There’s a lot of attention on faceoffs just because so many goals have come off it so far already in these playoffs.”

Cale Makar buried a shot from the blue line in Game 3 after a faceoff win by Alex Newhook, who got an assist on the goal. The Avalanche’s most frequent draw takers are centers Nathan MacKinnon and J.T. Compher. Compher told The Post earlier this season that as he gained more experience in the second-line center role, he learned the valuable tactic of communicating with officials to gain a competitive advantage on the dot.

“Just getting to know the linesmen a little bit,” Compher said. “And how they want the draws to go and what they’re looking for that night. Trying to have a relationship with them.”

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