The dreadful Chicago Blackhawks were just what the doctor ordered for the skidding Seattle Kraken, who played a less-than-perfect game Wednesday but cruised to an easy 6-2 victory.
The win ended a four-game losing streak for Seattle, reignited its offense (at least for one night), and was even a step in the right direction in terms of the group’s health.
“You look at the game, and it’s not a clean game,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “But I liked some of the maturity that we showed at the right moments in the game.”
Added Jordan Eberle, “There are still little details that we need to fix, and Joey [Daccord] was there to make some huge saves today. They had more than enough [chances] to keep pace with us.”
With a leaky Arvid Soderblom in net for Chicago (he has lost 10 straight decisions, and the Blackhawks have not won on the road since NOVEMBER), 12 different Kraken players recorded at least a point, including two goals from Tomas Tatar, a goal and an assist from Jared McCann, and two assists each from Eberle and Justin Schultz.
Here are our Three Takeaways from a 6-2 Kraken win over the Blackhawks.
Takeaway #1: Joey comes up big
Just when it seemed like Joey Daccord might need a break, he was razor sharp from the jump in this game. It was a good thing, too, because after McCann and Jaden Schwartz each scored within the first 7:12 of the game, the tide turned, and the Blackhawks started pushing.
“I really liked our first 10 minutes, but we got too loose in the last half of the period,” Hakstol said. “As soon as we went up by two, the momentum shifted on Chicago’s power play… We didn’t throw a bucket of water on that quick enough.”
With Tye Kartye in the box, that aforementioned Blackhawks power play was Daccord’s first moment to shine on the night. He came up huge with a glove save on Jason Dickinson, and although Joey Anderson got one by him with a redirect a few minutes later, Daccord made 14 saves in the opening stanza to help his team get to the room with a lead.
Thankfully for the Kraken, the Blackhawks came out and scored on themselves 15 seconds into the second period, and from there, the game was on the rails.
While Joey’s save on Dickinson in the first was key, he also directly contributed to a Kraken goal in the third period by stonewalling former Kraken and Friend of the Pod™️ Ryan Donato on a 2-on-0 rush. Eberle retrieved the puck, hit Tatar with a stretch pass for a breakaway, and Tuna dashed in and scored his first of two third-period goals just 10 seconds after Daccord’s save.
“[Daccord] made some crucial saves, one on a PK, which was a great glove save,” Tatar said. “Then on the breakaway… he’s just very steady for us, which is awesome. He’s just giving us a lot of confidence.”
Takeaway #2: Tatar and Eberle working well
Where would this Kraken team be without the acquisition of Tomas Tatar from the Avalanche on Dec. 15? Down on his luck in Colorado, Tatar cost general manager Ron Francis practically nothing to bring him in, and the veteran winger has proven to be a perfect fit for Seattle.
Since the day he arrived, Tatar has had obvious chemistry with Eberle, and together with Matty Beniers for a stretch and now McCann, the duo has worked together like spaghetti and meatballs.
“I mean, he’s a smart player,” Eberle said of Tatar. “He sees the ice well, he hangs onto it, he makes little plays, creates space that way. He’s had a ton of chances to score. It was nice to see him get a couple tonight. So hopefully that keeps it going.”
We agree with Eberle’s sentiments entirely. It’s fascinating to think about what a change of scenery and more opportunity can do for a player sometimes, and Tatar is another prime example of that after Eeli Tolvanen wrote the book on the topic last season. In 27 games with the Avs, Tatar scored only one goal, which came in his second-to-last game before being traded, and averaged just over 11 minutes of ice time.
Since moving to Seattle, Tatar already has five goals and four assists in 16 games and seems to really be enjoying his time in the Pacific Northwest.
“It’s been wonderful,” Tatar said. “Since day one, I could feel the support from my teammates and the fans, and I just really feel good and welcome, which was… good for my confidence.”
The boost he’s received from playing with top-liners (and particularly Eberle) has been mutual, as Eberle too has drastically improved since Tuna’s arrival.
“Ebs is a very experienced player,” Tatar said. “He’s played in the game for a long time, he’s very successful, and the great part about it is we are talking a lot on the ice, off the ice, which helps a lot to be and know where we’re at and what we have to do better. We’re not shy to talk about what to do. If something’s wrong, we want to be better every day, and that’s just I think what’s making it so good.”
Takeaway #3: A healthier group
We’re writing this last Takeaway while simultaneously knocking on wood. The Kraken are starting to get healthier. The illness that permeated through the locker seems to have run its course, Vince Dunn and Philipp Grubauer returned Wednesday, and we believe Matty Beniers is very close to returning.
The recent spate of injuries and illnesses certainly contributed to the Kraken’s four-game losing streak and frankly came at a bad time. The team was on such a roll, and then just didn’t have the energy to get through their six-game road trip with positive feelings. Now, things seem to be turning again, and just in time for a weak series of opponents.
The Kraken did apparently dodge a big bullet Wednesday, though, when Dunn blasted a slap shot off Schwartz’s ankle that sent the winger tumbling to the ice in a heap. After crawling for a bit, Schwartz got up and hobbled to the bench and down the tunnel, putting no weight on his left leg.
His return to start the third period was a welcome sight for Kraken fans. What a warrior.
Joey continues to perform. In the mailbag someone was curious if perhaps the Kraken had broken him already by playing him too much. Considering their position in the standings and the other options, I think they’ve had no choice but to run him out this much… but regardless… he’s definitely not “broken”.
After an absolute tear, he had one bad outing in a win against Columbus in the middle of a long road trip. He had a nice “bounce-back” the following game, but the ill and injured Kraken couldn’t score and he took the loss. He also gave up four in brutal game against Edmonton… but two of those were to a power play that has been scoring a league best 11.53 G/60 since their coaching change. Contrary to “broken”, in his last five starts – including those two “let downs” – he’s .913 (ten points above league average) and under three goals per. If that’s regression, I’ll take it.
I think typically a goalie IS their last 100 games. If they’re trending up, that’s good. Down, bad. Neither… that’s probably what you should continue to expect. Joey is a long way from 100 NHL starts… but this may be who he is.
Curtis had an excellent two-part breakdown on Joey, and while he did point out that teams may adjust to Daccord’s “aggressive” puck play, it also seemed like it was entirely possible something “above average” may be sustainable. Also, I mentioned in that article’s comments a recent paper on the decline in save percentage over the past seven seasons. The conclusion was that almost all of the decline is due to better medium-range shooting. Joey is tops in the league in “medium-danger” save percentage.
Whatever the case, I’d say so far he’s handling the workload just fine and he may even be a “much better than average” goalie.
Go Kraken!!!
We just got out-xGed by the lowly Blackhawks 62% to 38%. Joey was AWESOME. Besides his awesome saves, his puck play made a huge difference last night in the D zone and with transition. That game could’ve easily been a disaster.
I’m glad Coach Hakstol acknowledges the Curse of the Dreaded Two Goal Lead. The worst lead in all of organized sports. 😏
In case you’re wondering about the two-goal lead, I spoke to several Kraken players about it a couple months ago. 🙂 https://soundofhockey.com/2023/11/01/why-two-goal-lead-is-hard-to-keep/