The Seattle Kraken have been on an incredible run since my last Monday musings on Dec. 18. They went 6-0-1 in that span and looked very similar to the 100-point team we saw last season. This group is confident and appears to be having a bit of fun out there. But what has changed?
One significant factor is the defensive mindset and attention to detail. Darren Brown wrote an excellent piece breaking down the changes that transpired over the last month or so. If you haven’t read it yet, go check it out. There is no denying that Joey Daccord has been great in net, but the team has also been very effective at limiting quality shots in front of him.
While the team hasn’t been scoring a ton over the last 10 games, averaging 3.2 goals per game since the point streak started on Dec. 12 (roughly league average over that timeframe), they are allowing just 1.3 goals against, which is the lowest in the NHL.
Depth scoring is back
The team might not be scoring as much as they were last season, but production from up and down the lineup is back. 17 players have scored goals since the Kraken went on their point streak, with Eeli Tolvanen and Kailer Yamamoto having the most goals in that stretch with four each. It seems like every night there is a new group of players scoring for the Kraken, a hallmark of last season’s success.
Scoring first
One thing I have observed lately is the Kraken’s ability to score first and then hold leads, which it struggled with earlier in the campaign. At the beginning of the season, in games where they scored first, the Kraken had a losing record. During the months of October and November, they scored first in 12 games, winning just four of those, equating to a league-worst .333 win percentage when scoring the opening goal.
Fast forward to the point streak, where they have scored first in eight out of the 10 games and have a winning percentage of .875. Not only are they scoring first more frequently, but they are also winning those games at a much higher rate than at the beginning of the season.
A quick note on the Winter Classic
The Winter Classic happened over a week ago, but I continue to think about what an absolute perfect day it was to showcase how much this city has embraced this team in two and a half seasons. I always had conviction for this sport in this city, but this team continues to exceed my expectations off the ice. It has been an extraordinary journey, and hats off to all the people that have worked for this team, directly and indirectly, leading to the Winter Classic being such a special day.
Other musings
- There have been 27 teams that had exactly 41 points at the 39-game mark since the 2005-06 season. Of those teams, 11 qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s about a 41-percent chance. If you had told me last month that the Kraken would have a 41-percent chance of making the playoffs, I would have thought you were crazy.
- Now that Andre Burakovsky is back, it seems coach Dave Hakstol is still not settled on where he fits into the lineup. Burakovsky has mostly played on the fourth line with Kailer Yamamoto and Tye Kartye since his return, but he has also spent time with Alex Wennberg and Brandon Tanev.
- The lines will get even more mixed up once Jaden Schwartz comes back, which we think could happen Tuesday. He is traveling with the team on this road trip, implying his return is imminent.
- It’s hard to even say from the below which is the “fourth line,” but we believe the line with Jared McCann and Burakovsky was listed at the bottom of the line chart for Seattle at practice on Saturday. If this lineup sticks for Tuesday’s game at Buffalo, that’s a heckuva fourth line. It will be interesting to see how Hakstol deploys a very deep forward corps.
Tatar – Beniers – Eberle
Schwartz – Wennberg – Tanev
Tolvanen – Gourde – Bjorkstrand
McCann – Kartye – Burakovsky
Shore / Yamamoto
- I have really enjoyed watching Tomas Tatar on the Kraken. I have no idea why it wasn’t working in Colorado, but he clearly still has a lot of skill. He scored his third goal with the Kraken last Friday against Ottawa in his eighth game. He only had one goal in 27 games with Colorado this season.
- I’m looking forward to Chris Driedger getting a start or two on this road trip. It was great to see him win and perform well in his first start since 2022 when he beat the Calgary Flames on Dec. 27. Being that he is in the last year of his current contract, I would like to see him showcase his talent for potential landing spots next season.
- In case you did not know, Driedger will require waivers if the Kraken send him down to Coachella Valley when Philipp Grubauer returns from injury.
- There are seven teams that could knock the Kraken out of a Western Conference wild card spot at the end of the season. Edmonton and Minnesota are the two teams I am most concerned about at this point. It is too early for it, but I am already scoreboard watching. I loved seeing Chicago beat Calgary in regulation on Sunday, thanks to former Kraken Colin Blackwell scoring two goals.
- With so many Kraken prospects in the tournament, I enjoyed the IIHF World Junior Championship even more than normal this year. It was fun to watch all of them, but Jani Nyman and Carson Rehkopf were the standouts for me. I imagine Nyman could be playing in North America next year, and Rehkopf likely has one more year in the OHL.
- Speaking of Rehkopf, he didn’t waste much time getting back into the swing of things in Kitchener.
Player performances
Joey Daccord (SEA) – Joey is 5-0-1 since Dec. 18 and has the highest save percentage in the league over that stretch. The team in front of him has played better defensively, but Joey has been coming up huge.
Ales Stezka (CVF/SEA) – Stezka notched his first AHL shutout on Saturday night against the Abbotsford Canucks. He has a .980 save percentage over his last two games.
Eduard Sale (CZE/SEA) – The Kraken’s first-round selection from the 2023 NHL Draft had seven points in seven games during the World Junior Championship. He still has one more year of eligibility to play in the WJC, so it will be interesting to see if he returns next season.
Chart of the week
As mentioned above, a key factor contributing to turning this season around is the emphasis on defense and limiting goals against. The chart illustrates the reduction in goals allowed by the Kraken this season and compares it to other teams.
Goal of the week
Nyman had numerous highlights in the WJC, and one of the standout moments was his shootout goal that secured the victory for Finland over Sweden.
The week ahead
The Kraken embark on a six-game road trip, with the initial three matchups appearing relatively favorable. Seattle faces Buffalo on Tuesday, Washington on Thursday, and Columbus on Saturday. The team should aim to secure at least four points in those three. Key areas to watch include Burakovsky’s deployment in the lineup, Schwartz’s return, and the performance of the power play.
While there is currently no significant concern about the power play, the team has only scored one goal in eight opportunities over the last four games. The Kraken haven’t appeared particularly threatening with the man advantage lately, and it would be beneficial to see an improvement before it becomes an issue.
Feel free to leave any questions, feedback, or areas of exploration in the comment section. I appreciate your support.