We always knew November would be a good opportunity to gain ground by accumulating points during a softer stretch of the schedule. While no game in the NHL is ever automatic, bubble playoff teams need to take advantage of matchups by banking points against weaker opponents. That’s exactly what the Seattle Kraken have done over the last week, earning six out of a possible eight points (and eight out of 10 if you include the game against Vegas last Friday).
I’m not ready to declare this team a playoff contender just yet, but the preseason forecast suggested they could be a bubble postseason team. So far, that projection seems accurate.
Their wins weren’t dominant by any means, but it was encouraging to see the Kraken handle business against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks. It wasn’t always pretty—when they fell behind by two goals to Columbus, I’ll admit I started to panic. However, the Kraken rallied and, for the third time this season, overcame a two-goal deficit to win.
The victory against the Islanders was a very different story. The Kraken struggled to generate quality scoring chances, largely due to the Islanders’ disciplined, defensively focused play. While it wasn’t a signature win, it was still a significant one, particularly against one of the better goaltenders in the NHL, Ilya Sorokin.
Ironically, the Kraken might have played their best game of the week in a 2-0 loss to the New York Rangers. Playing on back-to-back nights against one of the league’s top teams, the Kraken came out strong and went toe-to-toe with the Rangers for most of the game. It served as a good benchmark for where the team stands, and overall, they performed well.
Eberle out
In case you missed it, Jordan Eberle suffered an injury during Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. He was able to labor off the ice, but the situation didn’t look promising, and he’s been out of the lineup ever since. Eberle is currently second on the team with six goals this season, and an extended absence leaves a significant hole in the Kraken’s lineup. November may be a softer spot in the schedule, but the team can’t afford to lose him for long.
Dan Bylsma didn’t make it sound like a long-term thing, but Sound Of Hockey did seem him on crutches at Climate Pledge Arena this weekend.
Need more contributions
The Yanni Gourde line continues to exceed expectations this season. It was especially great to see Gourde score on Saturday, even if it came in an unconventional way—catching a shot/pass from Tanev off his neck! That didn’t stop Gourde from celebrating the goal, and it’s emblematic of the line’s gritty, determined play.
BRB. Just gonna hit replay on this a million times. 😃 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/eH5P3TTD0t
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 16, 2024
This team will need more contributions across all lines if they hope to make a serious push for the playoffs. Andre Burakovsky has strung together his best stretch of games this season but has yet to find the back of the net. Since Jordan Eberle’s injury, Burakovsky has been playing alongside Matty Beniers and Jared McCann. That trio was the best line on the ice Sunday against the Rangers, controlling an impressive 88.3 percent of shot quality during their shifts.
Below is a breakdown of the shot attempts (excluding blocked shots) generated by each line in the game against the Rangers:
Burakovsky is overdue, and he’s looking increasingly confident. Expect him to break through with a goal or two in the coming week.
Other musings
- The Kraken’s win against the Islanders on Saturday marked their second home Saturday victory of the season. Notably, they didn’t win any home Saturday games last season.
- Joey Daccord deserves more recognition here. He’s been stellar in November, posting a 4-1-0 record with a .929 save percentage.
- Even in their losses, the Kraken have been competitive. Excluding empty-net goals, 89 percent of their games have been decided by two goals or fewer—a mark tied for second in the league for the most games in that range.
- Shane Wright played a season-low 8:34 in Saturday’s game against the Islanders and was a healthy scratch Sunday against the Rangers.
- Coincidentally, Oliver Bjorkstrand logged his most ice time of the season on Saturday with 20:08 and followed it up with 20:46 on Sunday. Remember, he was a healthy scratch last Tuesday in Colorado.
- The Coachella Valley Firebirds are on a roll, winning their last five games, including a two-game sweep of the Abbotsford Canucks.
- Kraken prospect Oscar Fisker Mølgaard returned to action Thursday for HV71 in the SHL, his first game since Sept. 21. While he didn’t score in his return, he notched two assists in his second game back.
- It was a bummer that former Seattle Thunderbird Nolan Allan did not suit up against the Kraken last Thursday. The defenseman, a healthy scratch that night, has played in 14 of the Blackhawks’ 18 games this season. It’s been great to see his progress.
- Ryan Donato continues to impress with the Chicago Blackhawks, tallying eight goals in 17 games. It’s hard to watch anyone score against the Kraken, but was there a more classic Donato goal than that one?
It’s not delivery, it’s Donato. 😔
2-1 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/IQVKHwuLJ0
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 15, 2024
- Some exciting news was announced Monday that the PWHL will be making a stop in Seattle this season. The Boston Fleet will play the Montreal Victoire at Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday Jan. 5 in a neutral-site game. Tickets will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.
Goal of the week
Eduard Sale is having a solid season with Coachella Valley Firebirds
3-1 US pic.twitter.com/jJGGRjVqvD
— Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) November 17, 2024
Player performances
Brandon Tanev (SEA) – Since last Friday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, “Turbo” has tallied four goals and two assists in a five-game stretch. He’s having a fantastic season and consistently provides a spark when the Kraken need it most.
Nikke Kokko (CV/SEA) – The Coachella Valley Firebirds’ goaltender is off to a perfect start this season, boasting a 5-0-0 record. On Friday, he stopped 20 of 21 shots in the Firebirds’ 4-1 win over the Abbotsford Canucks.
Ryan Winterton (CV/SEA) – The forward contributed one goal and two assists in two games against the Abbotsford Canucks over the weekend.
The week ahead
After playing four games last week, the Kraken face a lighter schedule with just two games over the next seven days. The first is a home matchup against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, who will likely be seeking revenge after a humiliating loss earlier this season when the Kraken scored seven goals in Nashville. The Predators haven’t lived up to preseason expectations but are coming off a 5-3 win against the Canucks. This game will serve as a solid test for the Kraken.
The second game of the week is a Saturday afternoon tilt against the Los Angeles Kings, a true benchmark matchup. If the Kraken are aiming to contend for a playoff spot, the Kings are one of the teams they may need to battle with for one of the final spots in the Western Conference. While it’s still too early to focus heavily on playoff positioning, the Kings, a playoff team last season, should offer insight into how competitive the Kraken can be moving forward. The Kings might also be without their regular starting goalie, as Darcy Kuemper was placed on injured reserve last Friday.
Earning two points this week would be sufficient, especially with a favorable schedule the following week featuring two games each against the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks.
How are we feeling out there?
Sale seems to have turned things around. Given he is only 19 and playing in the AHL, he is perhaps reviving his 1R pick status.
After a slow start, Winterton seems to be coming on strong. Still expect him to make the fulltime NHL roster next season.
Nice to see Kokko doing well this early in his AHL career. I wonder if he seizes the no. 1 spot there sometime this year.
Waiting to see more from Goyette and Nyman. Firkus and Nelson seem to be off to decent starts.
I was feeling a lot better before I read about Jordan Eberle being on crutches. Burakovsky rediscovering his game and the development of Ryker Evans into a legitimate top-four dude have been promising developments, but getting Dunn and Eberle back soon have been driving hope for a big run this season. The less delay there is in realizing that, the better.
How ’bout them Firebirds? Nikke Kokko still undefeated in North America? Eduard Sale taking to the North American game like a fish to water? Ryan Winterton racking up points and penalty minutes like an eighties old schooler? Ottavainen being a +7 in thirteen games? There is just so much to like in how the prospects especially are turning it up in Bylsma’s absence and without a big league goalie. They weren’t supposed to be this good again.
By the way, who else thinks that the Kraken should start playing “Country Road” on the PA in the third period of games where the team is winning?
I’m feeling good.
Things could be better, but I like the trend.
Go Kraken!!!
The lack of hitting is what I noticed against the Rangers. Is that a coaching decision or a player decifiency. Taking he body creates more space but the Kraken seem jammed up in certain areas a lot. We play a perimeter game on the offence. What do u think?
The modern thought on hitting is that if you have the advantage in the hitting category, it means you don’t have the puck. I’ve also heard smart people in hockey suggesting when you hit someone, it also takes you out of position. That said, the Rangers had more hits in the game and they won. Just looking at the quick stats on NHL.com and it looks like Seattle is middle of the road for hits per game, Rangers tend to hit a bit more but not the leaders in the league. Dallas, Carolina, Tampa, and Edmonton are on the bottom. Ottawa, Vancouver, Nashville, and Florida are the teams that hit the most. So not a 1 to 1 ratio but I would say some of the best teams in the league don’t out hit their opponents.
Yes you hit when you don’t have the puck and in the defensive zone a miss timed hit can turn into a scoring chance very quickly. Our 4th line hits everything that moves for the most part and it’s very effective for them especially in the O zone.
Very impressed with Ottavainen and also thought he looked very good in camp. Could he be ready for the kraken next season? It’s seems like we have a very full squad in the back end. Hopefully he gets a call up sometime this season, would love to see him in a regular season game to see how he performs.
Hitting everything that moves is more viable after a few drinks.
Based in experience, there can be some next day regrets.
😂
The PWHL news is encouraging. You all mentioned in a podcast that a Seattle franchise isn’t viable until a non WHL arena emerges. I’m not sure how the market would accommodate another one, given the options from Everett to Tacoma. Some thoughts (mostly open ended questions):
1. Hansen’s property in SoDo. If he willingly sold to a developer, would the city welcome a small events center there for the PWHL? Maybe in combo with UW or SU if they took up scholarship hockey?
2. Rumors Kraken ownership eyeing Eastside property for a future Sonics headquarters/practice facility. Would they include a small arena that could be used by the team’s G-League affiliate and the PWHL? Though that probably doesn’t work for UW/SU.
3. Could the WaMu Events Center, with some tweaking, work for a PWHL club? Would First & Goal even be interested in hosting that? Perhaps SoDo is too sports/events crowded, and it’s best to spread those activities to outlying areas.
“We saw a doc on Monday, we’re getting a couple of other opinions, and we should have more probably in the next 24 hours – a better, clearer picture as to what we’re dealing with and what that timeline will look like.”
I really don’t like the sound of this, “getting a couple of other options “ usually getting other options means that there is something seriously wrong. Hope he’s back soon.