When we heard Thursday’s Kraken game at Boston was jersey retirement night for Bruins legend Zdeno Chara, we knew it would be an uphill battle for Seattle, facing an emotional team and playing its second game of a back-to-back with travel. What we didn’t necessarily expect (and maybe we should have) was just how early into the game the hill to climb would turn into a mountain.
With the Bruins riding the Chara wave, the Kraken fell behind very early yet again and then spent the entire game trying to dig their way out. They pushed hard in the closing minutes but came up short in the end.
Here are Three Takeaways from a 4-2 Kraken loss to the Bruins.
Takeaway 1: Another bad start and other similarities to Wednesday at NJ
After Wednesday’s game in New Jersey, I started ringing alarm bells about Seattle conceding early goals after it had given up the icebreaker in four straight games. That trend turned into a clear and present danger Thursday—and one that needs to be addressed.
On Wednesday against the Devils, the Kraken gave up the opener 54 seconds in when Cody Glass found a rebound for an easy tap-in goal. On Thursday, Marat Khusnutdinov burned around Cale Fleury and then deked past Joey Daccord, who had dropped to his butterfly far too early and had no chance of recovering. Daccord, by the way, was just OK in this one, stopping 20 of 23 shots.
The time of Khusnutdinov’s goal? 54 seconds… AGAIN! What are the chances of that?!
The Kraken continued to drag a$$ for the next three minutes, and although they had numbers back on a rush, Jaden Schwartz and Fleury seemed to get crossed up momentarily in coverage. Schwartz recovered and got his stick on Viktor Arvidsson’s shot-pass to Casey Mittelstadt, but Schwartz poked the puck right into an open net, giving Arvidsson the goal and Boston a 2-0 lead.
To Lane Lambert’s credit, he immediately used his timeout. He was demonstrative and stern in his address to the team, and from the next face-off on, Seattle controlled the rest of the first period.
Another similarity to the night before: Seattle did get on the board within eight minutes, scoring five seconds into a power play drawn by Kaapo Kakko—the exact same amount of time that elapsed before Jared McCann scored a power-play goal Wednesday.
The problem this time, though, was that the Kraken didn’t get themselves sorted as quickly as they had the night before and allowed a second goal in between their opponent’s first goal and their own. That second one against came back to bite Seattle and meant chasing for the entire game.
Takeaway 2: Some good, some bad from power play
The Kraken power play converted twice in this game, improving to seventh in the entire NHL at 23.7 percent on the season, which accounted for all of Seattle’s offense. As mentioned in Takeaway 1, Chandler Stephenson cut the deficit to 2-1 with a power-play goal at 7:29 of the first period. Stephenson won the draw to Matty Beniers and then headed toward the net. Beniers poked it up to Vince Dunn, who sent it across to McCann at the top of the right circle. McCann then rifled a shot-pass to Stephenson at the top of the crease, who redirected it into an open net.
They made that one look easy.
Seattle added its second power-play goal at 12:27 of the second period, after Brandon Montour’s shot off the end wall skipped right to Eeli Tolvanen in the right circle. Tolvanen quickly sniped it over Jeremy Swayman’s left shoulder to pull the Kraken within 3-2.
Sandwiched between those two power-play goals, though, was a lackadaisical play by Beniers four minutes into the second period. He slowly drifted back to retrieve a puck in Seattle’s zone and, rather than turning on the jets to create separation from Mark Kastelic, tried a little shimmy-and-escape move. He was moving so slowly that it was an easy read for Kastelic, who picked Beniers’ pocket, went in on a breakaway, and scored a short-handed goal to put Boston up 3-1 at the time.
Despite a strong push late in the third, Tolvanen’s goal stood as Seattle’s final tally of the night, meaning Kastelic’s shorty ended up as the game-winner.
It was a rare misstep by Beniers, but a critical one nonetheless.
Takeaway 3: Montour returns, Melanson leaves, Evans scratched
As I wrote earlier in the week, we knew the Kraken had difficult lineup and roster decisions coming with Brandon Montour nearing a return from a hand injury that sidelined him for a month. In that article, I predicted Ryan Winterton—one of just three players, along with Jacob Melanson and Shane Wright, eligible for assignment to the AHL without having to clear waivers—would be sent down to the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Instead, the Kraken scratched Melanson Wednesday, then reassigned him to CV on Thursday when they activated Montour from injured reserve.
The decision was a “six in one, half-dozen in the other” situation, because the front office surely didn’t want to lose a player to waivers, but also likely didn’t want to send either Melanson or Winterton down. Something had to give, though, with the lineup fully healthy for the first time all season, and this was the call they made.
Interestingly, on the same day the grittiest player on the team was sent down, Winterton had his first NHL fight after taking a nasty hit from Alex Steeves and then standing up for himself instead of letting Vince Dunn do his bidding.
I wouldn’t have liked the call to send Winterton down either, but I especially don’t like the decision to reassign Melanson. The team turned things around when he arrived in the NHL, and since he’s come out of the lineup, the Kraken have put together two straight uninspiring performances and gone 0-1-1. I’ll reiterate what I wrote in my previous article: I’d like to see the team make a trade to clear out its logjam, improve offensively, and get Melanson a permanent spot on the fourth line.
For as effective as Tye Kartye and Freddy Gaudreau can be as fourth-line players, the Kraken need to do what they can to reunite Winterton with Ben Meyers and Melanson. When those three played together, they looked like one of the best fourth lines in the NHL. Any other combination just doesn’t seem to work as well.
By the way, with Montour back in, Ryker Evans was healthy scratched. It wasn’t a bad call, given that Evans has had some tough outings lately, but Fleury also did not have a great game against the Bruins. I’m curious to see if things look different Saturday in Utah, as Lambert tries to salvage the final two points from an otherwise disappointing road trip on which the Kraken currently sit at 1-2-1.
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.
This team is in love with its mediocre roster to a delusional extent and circles the wagons around its dumb UFA signings. There is extremely little chance anyone is claiming Mahura or Fleury off waivers. And if they did, those guys are very replaceable. In fact, each could replace the other. The point streak was always kinda fake, but at least there was a little excitement around the 4th line and the younger players, and then they torpedoed it by sending down the hardest-working guy and scratching Evans. I do not understand what the goal even is. Are they trying to win this year? No objective observer could possibly think this is a winning roster, but regardless, they broke up the one thing that had them winning for a bit (aside from Grubauer’s miraculous renaissance) and one of only a couple players on this team with any real speed. Are they building for the future? Then why are they deliberately impeding the development of their younger players? Management is living up to its national reputation as one of the most aimless, incompetent organizations in the league.
Well put. Reintroducing Schwartz has changed the balance. Team loves themselves their vets but being safer has made them slower, smaller and softer. Teams following the Bruins blueprint are about to hammer away.
Schwartz is a good player but with the contract and the fact he was replaced without the team dropping off means it’s time to cash in and get a decent return.
This team looks old, slow, and tired. Geadreau is the prime illustration of this team’s problem — why plug up a bottom 6 spot for another 4 years with a mediocre, aging vet? When will this team start actually getting younger? The point streak was great, mainly because it indicated maybe some hope and some direction for the franchise, but as soon as the vets came back, they reverted back to this slow, sloppy, unwatchable version of the team that lost 10 in a row. I think part of it is Lambert — he has all the lines playing the 4th line style of dumping, chasing, board battle, maybe retrieving, weak shot from the point, and immediately flee the zone to play defense. The floor is a bit higher but the ceiling is way lower. Wright needs more minutes. Stephenson and Freddy need fewer. Melanson, Kartye, and Winterton need to play every night.
I really don’t like how the kraken are dealing with the roster, Kartye and Melanson should absolutely be permanently locked in to the 4th line. We have way too many middling players and it really doesn’t hurt us to have a few injured, it actually hurts us more to have them all healthy.
Winterton is another of those middling players who can play up and down the lineup but doesn’t excel anywhere. He looked best on the 4th line but I still feel that Kartye is a better option there because he brings that relentless forecheck and throws the body whenever he can. That’s really what you want from the 4th line players that are difficult to play against and punish the opposing team physically. Even Eddie O mentioned about three times how the team misses Melanson and Kartye in the lineup. LL pull your head out of your *** and put together a proper 4th line. Make the middling players fight for a roster spot.
It’s definitely a difficult situation and I’m really not even sure why we’re in this situation, remember that we even had another middling player that was traded recently for a pick and we still have a logjam, what’s the plan here… is there a plan here?
Honestly what I would do is send down Winterton, he’s played well but we have sooo many players like him in the lineup it would not hurt in any way whatsoever to have him not in the lineup. He’s a player that can be called up and down when needed. Don’t send Melanson, he’s about every teams wet dream 4th line player.
Well, we don’t have so many players like Winterton in the sense that he is actually pretty fast.
Melanson is similarly fast. I think the last 2 games have shown that they at the least need either Melanson or Kartye in the lineup.
I hate Don’s model, but I do keep track of game score and have been trying to figure out why Winterton has had the highest game scores out the “bird crew” and I’ve realized it’s because he doesn’t really do a lot – good or bad.
Melanson makes all his hits, which has a tendency to leave him out of position and miss coverage. Kartye handles the puck a lot but also steps in on faceoffs, but that also provides opportunity for giveaways and, not being a center, has a pretty low faceoff percentage. Winterton plays low-risk/low-reward and it’s just boring. 🥱
Kartye is my favorite player and I’d hate to see him go, but he keeps getting shoved aside in favor of shiny new toys. Hakstol used him in a larger variety of situations and he had pretty solid numbers for a bottom-six rookie. The organization saw enough potential to bring him up to play on the first line in the playoffs, so what happened that pigeon holed him as a fourth line grinder / healthy scratch?
There’s a big part of me that thinks it might be best for him to go to another team where he can get a chance to be the shiny new toy.
I’ve been wondering about Kartye in a package. I’m still curious about someone like Kyrou and a “player, pick, peospect” going the other way. I could totally see Kartye in that.
There was a trade board posted last week that included Thomas as well as Kyrou. Thomas just went onto IR, but if he’s really available, I’d take him over Kyrou.
I still really really really want Robertson, though, and would totally give up the four firsts to offer sheet him. Or for a sign and trade let them pick whichever 2-3 players from anywhere in the organization they want, except maybe for Catton.
I also think the team should be quietly shopping Shane Wright around, if they’re not already doing so. I fully expect him to tell the team next year that he doesn’t want to re-sign, so if/when the right opportunity comes up to trade him they should go for it.
I don’t know, I like them both in the lineup. Having two players that can punish players on the same line keeps heads up.
I too have been wondering about Wright as a piece. I could totally see him in a Kyrou or Thomas deal.
As has been pointed out before, you can never have too many centers. I actually heard someone (THN I think) wondering if they’d drafted too many forwards in the top ten (giant eye roll). I too really want Dickinson. I’d like to think the Stars recent struggles make them think about it. Seattle has the cap, even with Stephenson’s horrendous cap hit. (ironic)
I’ve also noticed recently… Seattle players not showing up on trade boards. They were all over them for a while, but this past week I saw three with zero Kraken players. I can’t imagine folks in the national media actually think this team could make a playoff run – and to be clear – I’m NOT saying they’re “contenders”, but actually getting your “young guys” into a playoff has value. I know the popular view is you go from crap to contender, but maybe getting a round or two is worth something. Beats me…
All exciting… I do still wonder about a “big swing” between the Olympics and the deadline. If they do, I hope it’s for term rather than a rental… stay tuned.
You can never have to many centers unless you have to many centers 😂
It’s time to stop drafting centers unless it’s a player that you can’t turn down.
Yeah he has some decent speed, I don’t feel he’s as suited for the 4th line long term as Karate is though. He doesn’t have the toughness I’d prefer to see in that role.
I’m not saying that he shouldn’t be in the lineup but he doesn’t have to clear waivers and we have a numbers problem. Kartye would have to clear waivers and I doubt he would……. I’d be perfectly happy to see him long term on the third line if we could unload someone and create a little space. His overall skill set is pretty much in the middling group is pretty much what I mean and he could be in or out of the lineup and it wouldn’t matter that much.
Why would they mess with the Kid’s Table like that?
It’d be interesting to find out who thought this was a good option. Clearly that’s the person who needs to go.
I did not mean to drop this comment here! Where’s the delete button!!?
The Kraken need to clear out some of the journeyman players and let the kids develop. Sending down the one guy that was leaving it all on the ice was just plain stupid. Breaking up the fourth line was the worst coaching decision of the year, and there have been a few. Even if they were to make the playoffs, eventually you run into Colorado, Dallas or Tampa and the party’s over. Let’s think about the future for once.
This is on Lane. especially when those young legs had played low minutes of the last that young legs with speed and low minutes of the second game of a back to back on the road can change the flow of the game. On top of that he breaks up the fourth line that was the key to the team’s success prior to the the road.
I can’t believe how dumb management is. Sending Melanson to the AHL to rot instead of keeping him in the best development league in the world… the NHL.
So Daryl you’ve liked our 4th line recently?
I’ve loved the fourth line lately… but I’m just some guy sitting on his couch who watches NHL hockey and reads about it. I know I come off as an a-hole and arrogant frequently, but I try and have enough humility to recognize how little I know compared to the folks who’ve spent their entire professional lives at this. “I can’t believe how dumb management is…” I was being ironic. Yes, management makes mistakes, but I clearly don’t have enough information or insight to second guess fourth line players getting reassigned to the AHL. I know that’s not the norm for a lot of hockey fans.
A bit of a glass half full take on the game. The PP continues to look really good, which is a shocking turn around…especially since we lack the super star that typically differentiates the best PP from the rest.
I may be one of the few with this take but I think if Matty had not done his best impersonation of Dunn with a complete flub at the d-blue line the Kraken would have actually won this game despite coming out completely flat footed. The first 5 minutes were a train wreck but after LL wisely took the timeout I felt that they played a pretty solid game and out chanced the B’s. I especially liked Winterton standing up for himself but was really glad it wasn’t against one of the guys on the B’s who can really throw (Kastelic, Jeannot, Zadorov).
I do wonder if having Evans sit for a few games could have a positive impact like when they sat Wright last year. Fleury has seemed to outplay him recently so it seemed deserved. This also strikes me as another sign that Oleksiak gets moved since Evans definitely has a longer term fit and they seem comfortable with the depth they have on D.
I do wonder how much Evans tripping Wright in overtime earned him a seat on the bench.
This is the second game where they absolutely fell apart in the OT. Sweet Jesus
I doubt one bad play does it but Lane is a sucker for Vets and it was hwnfall during his career. If I were a gambling man, I would bet against the Kraken when injured players return to the lineup after a long layoff. No one just back on the band wagon after long layoffs and Lane thinks that way.
“there is winning and there is misery” – Pat Riley
The Nhl uses the drafted players like poker chips. They all build teams in specific ways. Trading Wright would be the stupidest move yet. Seattle has been terrible at developing players so far. Playing a player with average of 10 mins per game that does not get out of position and has speed and smarts. Then trading him because he hasn’t developed fast enough, that is on the coaching staff, not the player. I have complained about Writes ice time all year and now it is biting them on the butt.