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Three Takeaways – More magic from Jaden Schwartz as Kraken knock off Utah 5-2

Darren Brown

Mel Brooks tried to warn the Utah Hockey Club with his portrayal of the great Yogurt in the 1987 spoof masterpiece, Spaceballs, about underestimating the power of the Schwartz. But his warnings went unheeded Monday, as the Seattle Kraken used Jaden Schwartz’s red-hot offensive touch to make Utah look like a bunch of Dinks (specifically Rinky Dink, Blinky Dink, Stinky Dink, Pinky Dink, Finky Dink, and Winky Dink) in a 5-2 win at Climate Pledge Arena.

From Seattle’s perspective, the Kraken managed to build off their stunning comeback win in Vancouver on Saturday and create more post-holiday positivity with this full-game effort.

“We wanted to take the four-day break and the [5-4 overtime comeback win on Saturday] in Vancouver as a reset and get real focused on how we need to play 60 minutes every night,” coach Dan Bylsma said. “Just from the mindset of the shooter’s mentality and coming out and being aggressive, being north, the first period was excellent. And that’s something we want to continue to build on.”

Here are Three Takeaways from a 5-2 Kraken win over the Utah Hockey Club.

Takeaway #1: The power of the Schwartz

Jaden Schwartz has put the Kraken on his back the last two games. After Seattle appeared to be combing the desert for any semblance of cohesive play during the team’s recent five-game skid, Schwartz has stepped up and led the group by going straight to the goal crease every chance he gets and constantly sending pucks into dangerous areas.

“I wasn’t happy with how we were playing [before the holiday break],” Schwartz said. “I think each guy knew that we had a lot more to bring individually and for the team, and we’ve done a good job of that.”

Schwartz had a goal and two assists in this one to follow up his outstanding performance against Vancouver, in which he scored two of Seattle’s three late goals to force overtime. He would have also had a second goal Monday if it weren’t for a coach’s challenge from Utah that negated it.

Schwartz wasn’t deterred by the disallowed goal. Instead, just two minutes after the challenge, Schwartz kept a play alive by rimming it around to Adam Larsson at the point. Larsson sent it back, and Schwartz just got a touch on the puck as it headed toward Ryker Evans. Evans sent it to the net, and Yanni Gourde cleaned up the rebound to officially make it 1-1.

Then, 51 seconds later, with Seattle in the middle of a line change, Schwartz found himself on the ice with Andre Burakovsky and Chandler Stephenson. He picked up a loose puck at the right hash and twirled back toward the point to create space. With direct shooting lanes filled by defenders, he sent a wrister intentionally wide of the net, and Burakovsky got on the other end of it.

“The first look that I was looking for kind of got closed off,” Schwartz said. “Then I saw [Burakovsky] going to the net, and I was kind of flat-footed, so I just tried to get it in the direction of the net, and he did a good job of getting there and getting a stick on it.”

Schwartz’s final act in the contest, which really made Climate Pledge Arena go to plaid, was when he took Kappo Kakko’s dazzling 100-foot stretch pass at the blue line, cruised in, and fired it between Karel Vejmelka’s wickets for the eventual game-winning goal.

“It was a good turnover, and I just heard the whole bench and all the fans yelling, ‘Pass the puck! It’s going to be a breakaway!’” Kakko said. “So, I tried to get it there, and I don’t know, maybe a little lucky, but it gets there and nice finish [by Schwartz].”

What a game, and what a stretch of play from Jaden Schwartz. I promise I’m done with Spaceballs jokes now.

Takeaway #2: The Kaapo Kakko trade is looking better and better

This was the first time I’ve seen Kakko play for the Kraken in person, and man, he looks really good. It probably helps that he’s playing with the sizzling-hot Schwartz, but what Seattle has lacked so obviously for much of this season is players who are willing to go to the front of the net.

Kakko is using his massive frame exactly as one would hope and pounding his way right into dangerous areas. But he’s also making impressive plays on the puck and elite passes; the Schwartz goal and the Matty Beniers goal came off primary assists from Kakko, and both were after spectacular feeds.

“He’s been playing great,” Schwartz said. “He’s a big body, he can see the ice well, he makes little plays, kind of give-and-go’s to create space, and he’s been good defensively. So he’s been a big addition for us.”

Kakko said his confidence has grown now that he’s getting settled with his new team. “The start was kind of hard, all three games we lost. That’s never a good thing,” Kakko said. “But I felt pretty good today. The first period, especially, I think we got a lot of good chances, and on the power play, also, there [could have been] a couple goals. And then [it was a] good thing we got two goals also in the end, so pretty good.”

Pretty good. Prettttaaayyyy pretttayyy good.

Takeaway #3: Chemistry forming

I’m realizing as I write this last Takeaway that all three have been about the Schwartz/Beniers/Kakko line, but they really were the story of this game. It’s encouraging that as Schwartz has cooked lately, there’s also chemistry forming between Kakko and Beniers, who had struggled so mightily before getting a couple nice bounces in the last two games to get some more goals to his name.

“[Beniers and Kakko] are talking, they’re getting together, they’re communicating together with Schwartzy,” Bylsma said. “‘What are we going to do on this play, the next play? How are we going to do it? Will you be there? I’ll be there.’

“And now it’s three games in a row they’ve been the most effective line.”

Assuming this trio continues to flourish, and assuming the Eeli Tolvanen/Shane Wright/Oliver Bjorkstrand line can remain impactful, then the Kraken could finally be forming multiple dangerous lines at the same time, something they’ve been searching for all season.

But while those two lines look like solutions, the Jared McCann/Stephenson/Burakovsky line remains puzzling. Burakovsky had a goal with a tip-in of Schwartz’s shot, and McCann had an empty-netter to seal the win, but for the majority of this game, that line was hemmed in its own zone and earned an abysmal six percent of the shot quality when they were on the ice together, according to Natural Stat Trick. With two of the top three lines working and this one really not, one has to think there’s more tinkering coming relatively soon.

Regardless, after Beniers has struggled all season to find his footing, there are signs that Schwartz and Kakko could finally be giving him the traction he needs; it’s a fun line to watch right now. Get them all going!

Darren Brown

Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email darren@soundofhockey.com.

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