Seattle Kraken: Strive for 95 (points) November update

November has arrived, marking time for an update on the Strive for 95 points target. The 95-point benchmark carries weight: over the last 10 full NHL seasons, teams reaching 95 points have qualified for the playoffs 80 percent of the time. With the Kraken aiming for a playoff return, we’ll track their journey to 95 points throughout the season. Alongside monitoring their standings, we at Sound Of Hockey have also sorted teams into three tiers: Playoff Bound, Bubble, and Tankers.

October harvest

The Kraken’s target for October was 12 points, and they came close with an even 5-5-1 record, securing 11 points. Here’s how they performed against each team tier:

• Playoff Bound (0-4-1): This is the most concerning area, as the Kraken only managed to earn one point in five games against Playoff Bound teams. They scored just seven goals across these matchups.
• Bubble (3-1-0): Securing six points against Bubble teams is a positive sign. The only loss came on Opening Day to the St. Louis Blues in a game that could have gone the Kraken’s way.
• Tankers (2-0-0): These should be more straightforward games, and the Kraken delivered, outscoring this tier by a combined total of 10-3.

Goaltending

Both goalies have had solid starts to the season. Joey Daccord has been a standout at times, earning seven starts, while Philipp Grubauer, who has played four games, has also performed well. Daccord finished off October starting four straight games.

It’s worth noting that save percentage, while informative, doesn’t tell the whole story. Grubauer didn’t play against Tanker teams, where Daccord excelled. Grubauer faced an average of 24.25 shots per game, while Daccord faced 32.28, which affects their save percentages. Overall, both goalies played well, though Daccord, fresh off his five-year, $5 million extension, had the hotter hand in October.

Goal scoring

The Kraken have netted 36 goals this season, averaging 3.27 goals per game—a figure that looks promising at first glance. However, a closer look shows that 21 of those goals came in just three games against the Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Montreal Canadiens. This means the remaining eight games yielded only 15 goals, for an average of 1.88 goals per game. Finding a way to score more consistently will be key for the Kraken moving forward.

Team tiers – November

Each month, team tiers will be adjusted as the season unfolds. There will be movement between tiers, but with just one month into this young NHL season, no team’s fate is clear yet. For November, only one team has shifted tiers: the Philadelphia Flyers have dropped to the Tankers tier due to ongoing questions about goaltending.

Current point percentages:

We’re also monitoring a few teams that could shift tiers but are staying put for now.

• Calgary Flames – After a strong 4-0 start, the Kraken beat the Flames in OT. Calgary then finished the month 1-4-1. With their recent struggles, they remain in the Tankers tier.
• Colorado Avalanche – They stumbled early, with Alexandar Georgiev posting a dismal .822 save percentage. Justus Annunen has stepped in, going 4-0 in his starts and helping to stabilize the team. With injuries piling up, however, they could drop to the Bubble tier if they can’t steady things in November.
• Nashville Predators – Following the free agent signings of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, the Predators have underperformed expectations, finishing October with just seven points. While they sit four points shy of a playoff spot, the situation is challenging but not yet dire.
• Vegas Golden Knights – Vegas leads the league in goals scored with 50 through 11 games. However, I’m not fully convinced by this burst in scoring just yet, so I will consider November a prove-it month. If they continue to pile up the wins, moving to the Playoff Bound tier could be on the horizon for the Golden Knights.

November rain

With November rain also brings an easier schedule, and the Kraken will enjoy their longest home stand of the season with a six-game stretch in this month. First, they must finish their current road trip, with stops in Ottawa, Boston, and Colorado. After falling one point off the pace in October, their target for November is 18 points in 14 games. The Kraken will encounter two sets of back-to-back games—one at the start of the month and another at the end. Here’s the breakdown of tiers for this month.

• Playoff Bound – The Kraken have three games against this tier, with a target of three points. Two of these matchups will occur during the first week of the month, with Seattle wrapping up its road trip against the Boston Bruins and the Colorado Avalanche. The final game against this tier will be against the New York Rangers during the Kraken’s home stand.
• Bubble – The Ottawa Senators, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Islanders, Nashville Predators, and Los Angeles Kings comprise the five Bubble games this month. The target for the Kraken is six points.
• Tankers – November presents the busiest month for the Tanker tier. The Kraken will play six games against four different teams, aiming for nine points to stay on pace, with the potential to get ahead. The teams include the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks (two games), and San Jose Sharks (two games). The Kraken will close out the month with two sets of home-and-home games against the Ducks and Sharks.

With the first leg of back-to-back games starting in Ottawa on Saturday, expect to see Grubauer get the start in net, with Daccord taking the second leg of the back-to-back in his hometown of Boston on Nov. 3.

Wrapping up

Overall, the Kraken have had one of their best starts to the season. Only the 2022-23 season edged them out with 12 points compared to 11 points this season. They have shown solid goaltending and flashes of scoring, providing a strong foundation to build upon. The coaching staff continues to tweak the offensive lines to unlock their full potential, but only the top line of captain Jordan Eberle, Matty Beniers, and Jared McCann has found consistent success. Unlocking scoring threats in two more lines will be key to reaching the playoffs.

The Kraken have also had to contend with the injury of Vince Dunn, which can be read about on Sound Of Hockey by clicking here. Since Dunn was placed on long-term injured reserve, the Kraken have gone 2-3-1—not bad, but not great either—especially considering that four of those games were against the Playoff Bound tier. There is no word yet on a potential return date for Dunn, but the earliest he could return is for the Nov. 12 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

We will continue to track the Kraken’s progress monthly throughout the season. If you have any questions, thoughts, or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments below or reach out to me on X @blaizg.