The Seattle Kraken just captured six out of a possible eight points on what, at least on paper, looked like one of the most challenging road trips on the schedule. This comes right after we were all searching for answers following three straight losses to Anaheim and San Jose. How did this turnaround happen?

Starting on time

I’ve always considered “starting on time” part of the coaches’ and players’ cliché vocabulary—something they break out to essentially say nothing to the media. However, the Kraken’s slow starts were a big factor in those three losses against Anaheim and San Jose. They trailed in all three of those games, but on this road trip, they scored the first goal in three out of four games.

The Kraken still lead the league in allowing the first goal, trailing first in 62.1 percent of their games. But it’s more than just scoring first—they looked engaged from the start in all four games. There were early stretches against the Devils and Rangers where they were being outshot, but it wasn’t the same sloppy affair we saw against San Jose.

Power play comes alive

Prior to this road trip, the Kraken were a brutal 2-for-28 on power play opportunities over the previous eight games, including a six-game drought without a power-play goal. On this road trip, they went 4-for-8 on the power play.

It doesn’t seem like the team is doing anything drastically different other than successfully entering the zone and setting up in the offensive zone. Vince Dunn is obviously a valuable addition to the power play unit, but he only had one point on the four power-play goals scored during the trip. Still, Seattle seems to be getting more zone time than before, and you can tell he’s very comfortable quarterbacking that top unit.

The Shane Wright ‘line’

One recent line adjustment made by Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma was putting Shane Wright with Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen. The three were productive before the road trip, but they contributed eight goals over the four-game trip, including four in the game against the Rangers.

It’s not entirely fair to credit that line for all eight goals since several came on the power play when they weren’t on the ice together. However, the trio is clearly clicking, both at even strength and with the manpower advantage.

I’m not going to pop any champagne bottles proclaiming Shane Wright is living up to his draft position just yet, but his play over the last few weeks has been very encouraging. He’s still just 20 years old.

Bylsma talked about Wright’s progression following the game on Sunday. “He’s matured as a player over the last year and a half. But in training camp, he was playing his best hockey that he’s played as a Kraken, and he just needed to reset and get focused on playing that way again.” 

Has Shane Wright arrived?! 😤 pic.twitter.com/jKmU8nuhI5

— NHL (@NHL) December 8, 2024

Responding to the scratch

I’m sure these guys are tired of being asked about it, but how about the performances of Bjorkstrand and Wright since they were healthy scratched? While it’s a small sample size, Andre Burakovsky is showing some early signs that he might follow a similar path.

Here’s how the guys performed before and after their healthy scratches:

They still have work to do

As great as the past week has been, the Kraken still hold a .500 record, which projects to just 82 points by season’s end. That obviously won’t cut it for a playoff spot. However, their adjusted goal differential has hovered right around zero for most of the season, which suggests they are better than an 82-point team.

Other Musings

• Philipp Grubauer’s surprise start did not begin well, as he allowed a soft goal just 3:38 into the game. I can’t imagine the mental challenge of going to bed as the backup and waking up as the starter for an early afternoon game. He looked a little shaky for the rest of the first period but settled in nicely over the final two.
• Grubauer came up huge during a critical stretch midway through the second period, making several key saves to keep the deficit at two.
• This goal sparked Sunday’s comeback, and I love everything about it:

Mitchell Stephens (playing in his 100th NHL game!) sets up Tanev to make it 3-2 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/OPXUuA3VdJ

— Alison (@AlisonL) December 8, 2024

• The Kraken overcame a two-goal deficit on Sunday for the fourth time this season. I’ve mentioned this before, but last season they never came back from a two-goal deficit. This team is different.
• The Kraken allowed two response goals to the Rangers on Sunday, bringing their total to 10 this season. That’s the third most in the league, trailing only Colorado and San Jose. (Response goals are goals allowed within two minutes of scoring.)
• The Kraken’s victory over the Rangers was their first at Madison Square Garden in franchise history. The only road arenas they haven’t won in? The Prudential Center against the Devils and, of course, the Utah Hockey Club’s rink.
• Due to Joey Daccord’s last-minute illness, the Kraken signed Michael Matyas to an Amateur Tryout Agreement (ATO) to back up Grubauer. The full story and logistics will emerge soon, but Matyas played on a U16 AAA team with Kraken director of team services Brennan Baxandall, who was instrumental in securing the emergency goalie.
• Speaking of being winless, the Kraken have never beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning at Climate Pledge Arena. They’ll get another shot on Saturday.
• Shane Wright is averaging the most goals per game (.29) of anyone in his draft class.
• Offense heating up: The Kraken have scored six or more goals in a game five times this season. That matches their entire total from last season.
• Jared McCann has just one goal in his last 10 games, but don’t expect that to last much longer. He’s due.
• Jakub Fibigr was named to Czechia’s World Junior Championship team invite roster. Last week, I mentioned him as a dark horse to make the final squad, but after talking to a few well-connected folks, it sounds like he’s all but locked in for the tournament in Ottawa.
• Joining Fibigr on Team Czechia is Eduard Sale, who’s had a strong first season in the AHL. That said, he’s hit a rough patch, with no points in his last six games—his longest pointless streak of the season.
• Finland hasn’t announced its pre-tournament roster yet, but expect Kraken prospects Julius Miettinen (center) and Kim Saarinen (goalie) to make the squad, with Visa Vedenpaa (goalie) having an outside chance.
• Seattle Kraken goalie prospect Victor Ostman got into a goalie fight over the weekend in the Mavericks’ win against the Utah Grizzlies, and I would say he held his own.

WE HAVE A GOALIE FIGHT PEOPLE THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!

pic.twitter.com/678w6c3i2v

— Marissa Voss™ (@marissavoss) December 8, 2024

Goal of the Week

Jaden Schwartz set the tone for the road trip just 19 seconds into the game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

#SEAKRAKEN WITH AN EARLY STRIKE! 🚨

Schwartz splits the D and scores 19 SECONDS into the game.

1-0 pic.twitter.com/LeRPTyTWmf

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) December 4, 2024

Player performances

Tyson Jugnauth (POR/SEA): The unsigned Kraken defenseman prospect had six assists in the Portland Winterhawks’ 7-2 win over the Vancouver Giants. My only question—where was he on the seventh goal?
Jaden Schwartz (SEA): Schwartz tallied two goals and two assists over the four-game road trip. We don’t talk about Schwartz nearly enough—when healthy, he’s been a steady, reliable forward for the Kraken.
Vince Dunn (SEA): Dunn notched six points on the road trip, including a goal and two assists in the Kraken’s 5-2 win over the Islanders.

The week ahead

The boys may be coming home, but the schedule doesn’t get any easier with matchups against Florida, Boston, and Tampa Bay—three teams playing excellent hockey heading into the week.

• Tuesday: Florida Panthers. They’re 5-0-1 over their last six games and are averaging more than five goals per game in that stretch.
• Thursday: Boston Bruins on Thursday. The Bruins are 7-2-0 since firing head coach Jim Montgomery and naming Joe Sacco as interim bench boss.
• Saturday: Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning’s power play is on fire, operating at 38 percent efficiency over their last 10 games.

Capturing three out of a possible six points this next week would be a solid result, but the Kraken need to keep clawing back points to reinsert themselves into the playoff picture.

Can they exceed that number? What say you?