by Darren Brown | Apr 29, 2023 | Three takeaways
Oh, what could have been for the Kraken in Game 6 against the Avalanche. We couldn’t help imagining Seattle closing out the Stanley Cup champions on home ice and thinking of the chaos it would have created in and around Climate Pledge Arena. Alas, the Avalanche—with their backs against the wall—dominated the second period and cruised through to a 4-1 win.
“They played desperate tonight,” said Vince Dunn. “They were good with the puck, and I think we let them come at us a little bit too much. We were not good enough as a whole, slowing them down on our forecheck, and when you give them space and time, they’re going to make their plays.”
The Kraken loss forces a Game 7 in hostile territory on Sunday, a game that could live on in either lore or infamy, depending on the outcome.
Here are our Three Takeaways from a disappointing Game 6 Kraken loss to the Avalanche.
Takeaway #1: Avs did their damage in the second period
The Kraken got out to a decent enough start in the first period, weathering an early push from the Avalanche and getting aided by a successful offside challenge to negate a Bowen Byram goal. That would have been the first time in the series that Colorado got on the board first, but instead, Dunn scored at 15:48 to give Seattle a 1-0 lead.
If Seattle could have gotten to the dressing room up 1-0, we thought frustration would have really set in for the Avalanche. Instead, Mikko Rantanen scored a critical goal in a critical moment, with just 19 seconds left on the clock. You never want to give up a goal in the final minute of a period, and although coach Dave Hakstol said goals don’t carry momentum over from one period to the next, there’s no doubt the late tally changed Colorado’s mentality.
Lo and behold, the Avs came out flying in the second period and looked like the champs again.
“Second period, they tilted the game their direction,” said Hakstol. “They got on top of us with their forecheck, which starts momentum, and we weren’t able to break that enough.”
The Avs outshot Seattle 14-4 in the middle frame and got through on Philipp Grubauer twice, both off deflected shots.
“I thought we were fine after that first period,” said Dunn. “There were some things we could fix, but that’s a team with a lot of high-end skill, and they make a lot of plays. So coming out flat and on our heels in the second, they’re going to make you pay.”
It was no surprise to see Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar leading the way, frequently stacked up on the ice at the same time and dominating almost every moment they were out there. MacKinnon was held off the scoresheet officially, but he started the plays that led to all three of Colorado’s goals in the first and second.
MacKinnon’s effort on the Erik Johnson goal that made it 2-1 was especially impressive. Jamie Oleksiak knocked him down in the corner, and from his stomach, MacKinnon somehow kept the puck away from both Oleksiak and Yanni Gourde. He then hustled to the front of the net to screen Grubauer, and just like that, the puck was in the back of the net.
Takeaway #2: Penalties zapped the Kraken
Although Seattle’s penalty kill ended up with a perfect five-for-five night, going shorthanded that many times took its toll on the players. Seattle spent six minutes killing penalties in the second period alone, and every time it had to do that, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was not shy about sending out Rantanen, MacKinnon, and Makar together.
“We were in the box a lot,” said Jordan Eberle, who took a somewhat controversial boarding call on Andrew Cogliano, sending him dangerously into the boards. “That just creates momentum and then tires us out.”
That top Colorado trio can be flat out overwhelming, and there were power plays in which they held the puck in the Kraken zone for almost the full two minutes Friday. That exhausts the players who are out there killing, but it also has a tendency to get the momentum rolling downhill.
Penalties happen when you’re hemmed in your zone for extended periods, and that definitely occurred on several occasions Friday. The Avs were flying around, and the result was Seattle dragging them down.
“You start defending, and you end up in that [second] period killing six minutes in penalties,” said Hakstol. “Now you’re coming off of that and fighting for energy, and fighting to turn around the momentum at the same time, and we weren’t able to do that in that second period.”
The icing on the penalty-filled cake came late in the third, when the Kraken were desperately trying to get back in the game, only to see Gourde slash Makar’s stick out of his hands with four minutes left.
The Kraken need to stay on their toes for more of Game 7 to avoid getting themselves into similar penalty trouble. Another night with lots of trips to the box will spell a series loss.
Takeaway #3: A wasted effort for Philipp Grubauer
Grubauer was excellent again in Game 6, stopping 35 of 38 shots. He kept Seattle in the game to the bitter end, and the only goals against came off a rebound that hit him up high, then got passed around him, and two shots that changed directions on the way to the net. He has had a stellar series against his old club and deserved better from his mates in this one.
“[He was] fantastic,” said Dunn. “He’s been great all series, and it’s an unfortunate loss for us, because he definitely made the saves he needed to to keep us in it. I just think if we could fix that second period, we’re in a way different position going into the third.”
Grubauer’s best save of the night came on one of Colorado’s many power plays at the end of the second period. Makar set J.T. Compher up for what looked like a sure goal, an easy tap-in at at the netmouth. But Grubauer got a big push off his left skate and did a full split to get across just in time with his right toe.
It was one of those saves that we tabbed as being a potential turning point, had the Kraken figured out a way to get back in it. But… they did not.
So, the Kraken and Avalanche head to Game 7 in Denver on Sunday, where Seattle will look to get it done the dramatic way. The Kraken will need one more outstanding performance from Grubauer to win the series, and if they get that again, hopefully they won’t waste it.
by Darren Brown | Apr 23, 2023 | Three takeaways
And just like that, the Kraken trail in their first Stanley Cup Playoff series, 2-1 against the Colorado Avalanche. After a close-to-perfect first game in Colorado, things have since started to slide for Seattle, which did not have answers for superstars Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen in Game 3 Saturday.
There was plenty of excitement in Seattle’s first-ever home playoff game, especially when the Kraken erased a two-goal deficit in the second period, but they couldn’t keep up with the Avs’ studs in the third.
“They capitalized on their chances,” said Matty Beniers. “They’re a fast team, and that’s what they did. We’ve just got to be a little bit more sound defensively.”
Here are our Three Takeaways from a 6-4 Game 3 Kraken loss to the Avalanche.
Takeaway #1: Colorado’s big guns were too much
The key to this series for the Kraken has always been minimizing the damage done by Nos. 8, 29, and 96 on the Avalanche. Seattle did a good job of that in the first two games, allowing just one goal by Rantanen, assisted by MacKinnon, in Game 1 and just an assist by Makar in Game 2.
Game 3 was a different story completely, though, as the trio of superstars combined for five goals on the night.
“We know the level of players they are,” said coach Dave Hakstol. “Those guys are world-class players. We gave them too much time and space. [It was] a little too easy tonight, right?”
What’s concerning from a Seattle perspective is that in the first two games, Makar didn’t look all that dangerous, save for his assist on Artturi Lehkonen’s goal in Game 2. Remember, he’s coming off an injury that kept him out the last two weeks of the regular season, and on Saturday, he looked like he was back to his Norris Trophy-winning self for the first time in the series.
Aside from the heat-seeking missile he launched past Philipp Grubauer in the second period—right off a clean face-off win by Alex Newhook—there were several times in the game when Makar walked the blue line and dipped around Kraken players. He was deking Kraken players out of their jocks in ways only he can, but also in ways that we didn’t see from him in Games 1 and 2.
Meanwhile, MacKinnon was the all-world player we’ve expected him to be in Game 3. We’ve said before that in two years of watching every team visit Climate Pledge Arena, there are only two players that truly scare us when they get the puck: Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. MacKinnon looked extra scary Saturday.
With the game tied 1-1 and the teams skating four-on-four, Vince Dunn jumped up at an inopportune moment, putting himself in no-man’s land. That left a footrace between MacKinnon and Adam Larsson, and—sorry, Big Cat—MacKinnon is going to win that one 100 percent of the time. It was a big goal for Colorado at a big moment in the game, with the first period winding down.
“We dive in on a four-on-four when 29 is on the ice,” said Hakstol. “I mean, that’s something we can’t do.” That’s about as directly as Hakstol will publicly call out a player for mistakes, and he is talking about Dunn there, who we thought had a rough Game 3 with that play, plus multiple ugly turnovers.
MacKinnon followed that up with a highlight-reel goal in the third period to put the game away at 5-3. He took a pass just inside the Kraken blue line, made Ryan Donato look like a traffic cone, and rifled a perfect shot over Grubauer’s shoulder.
There’s no magic formula for stopping those players, but you have to have a heightened awareness every time they’re on the ice, and as Hakstol said, “We’ve got to do better job as a group on those guys.”
Takeaway #2: The boys battled, then fizzled
When Makar made it 3-1 at 4:33 of the second, and for the next eight minutes, it felt like the game was teetering on the brink of going very sideways for the Kraken. The air had been sucked out of the building, and there wasn’t much happening offensively for Seattle.
But then, lightning struck… and struck again. The offensive dynamo that is Jamie Oleksiak scored one of the prettier goals of the entire season to put the Kraken back within a goal. Yanni Gourde passed it to him through the seam. He stickhandled from forehand to backhand to beat Rantanen, then stayed on his backhand and used his long reach to shoot it around Alexandar Georgiev.
Just 19 seconds later, Beniers scored his first career playoff goal, after some hard work down low by Jordan Eberle, Beniers, and Jared McCann. After cycling it through all three forwards, McCann finally found Beniers in the slot for a quick snapper.
That very much brought the air back into Climate Pledge Arena, where the home crowd erupted after the tying goal.
Going to the dressing room tied 3-3, it seemed like Seattle was marching toward an exciting third-period victory. Instead, Rantanen scored three minutes into the third, and MacKinnon threw the dagger a minute and a half later. At that point, it was officially a track meet, and Seattle doesn’t have enough firepower to outrun the high-flying Avs.
Takeaway #3: Awesome atmosphere
While the outcome was not what Kraken fans wanted, it was an unforgettable night at Climate Pledge Arena, the first home playoff game in the history of the franchise. The crowd was raucous in the early going, after gathering on the plazas around the arena hours in advance of puck drop. And although they got quiet for a bit in the second period and again in the third when things got out of reach, the din after Beniers tied the game in the second was downright deafening.
“Loved the atmosphere, loved the building,” said Hakstol. “The fans, the feel of the building, it was a playoff feel. That’s what it is.”
It would be swell to see the Kraken win a game (or two?) at home in this series, because there were awesome moments Saturday in a losing effort. We can only imagine how that building would be in a win.
The team still believes it can do it. “We knew it was going to be a long series,” said Jaden Schwartz, who had two goals Saturday. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We’ve got a lot of faith in our game, a lot of belief in each other. We’ve just got to regroup and get ready for the next one.”
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Adding to the atmosphere Saturday was the very touching pre-game tribute to our pal, Andy Eide. The Kraken organization held a spot for Andy in the press bridge, where they placed a bouquet of flowers and his customary reporting cap next to a placard with his name on it. They showed images of Andy on the scoreboards, asked fans in attendance to turn on their cell phone flashlights for added ambience, and dedicated their first home playoff game to Andy. We were deeply moved by the salute.
We asked Hakstol Sunday morning about his experiences working with Andy, and he said: “I definitely thought about him throughout the day [Saturday]. He was a gentleman of the press, a true gentleman, but also just a huge fan of the game of hockey. And that rang true every time you were around Andy.”
I’m making a rare switch to the first-person point of view for one more Andy anecdote to close out this lengthy Three Takeaways.
As I’ve gone through various stages of grief over the past week and change, I’ve gotten to a pretty good place mentally. I’m comfortable talking about Andy, thinking about Andy, and I’m generally in good spirits. But every now and then, I get this really intense sense of déjà vu, and I feel like Andy is right there next to me. Those are the moments that choke me up and quickly bring me to tears, as I snap back to the reality of him no longer being around.
I felt that in the second period Saturday. As the thunderous tumult built in the arena after Beniers’ goal, I got goosebumps on my arms, and the only thing I could say to the person next to me was, “Wow.”
That moment transported me back to the Kraken’s first pre-season game last season, the one they played in Spokane against the Canucks. I sat next to Andy for that game, and when it started, there was a similar feeling of hairs going up on my arms with the roar of the crowd. I remember Andy looking at me, and saying, “Wow! I just got goosebumps!” And me looking back at him and shouting, “So did I!” over the roar.
Somehow, the two moments crossed in my brain Saturday, and I felt Andy’s presence as strongly as I have in this whole difficult journey. While Andy wasn’t physically in the building Saturday, I think it’s quite safe to say his spirt was there; I know I sure felt it.
by Darren Brown | Apr 20, 2023 | Three takeaways
Just two games into Seattle’s first Stanley Cup Playoff journey, the team’s fledgling fanbase has already experienced the roller coaster of emotions that comes with the postseason. Entering Game 2 with an unexpected 1-0 series lead over the Avalanche, the Kraken again surprised by coming out of the gate like gangbusters, only to fade in the later stages of the contest.
Philipp Grubauer had another stellar outing with 38 saves, and Justin Schultz and Brandon Tanev put the Kraken ahead in the early going. But the Avalanche battled back in the second and third periods, getting goals from Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin, and Devon Toews to even the series 1-1.
Here are our Three Takeaways from a disappointing—but also still encouraging—3-2 Kraken loss to the Avalanche.
Takeaway #1: A hot start by the Kraken
Oh, what could have been. That’s why this one stings; the Kraken left the first period with a 2-0 lead and mostly dominated the opening frame. They put themselves in position to win, and in fact, a chorus of boos rained down on the defending champion Avs as they skated off at the first horn.
The Kraken—led by Yanni Gourde—were flying in the first 20 minutes and taking it to the Avalanche.
Gourde made two outstanding plays that directly led to goals. The first came just two and a half minutes into the game. Deep in Seattle’s zone, Oliver Bjorkstrand rimmed a puck around to Gourde. In one fluid motion, the “Pepperpot” spun out of a Darren Helm check and slipped the puck past a pinching Devon Toews just inside the blue line. In about a second worth of work, Gourde made two Avalanche players look silly, and the area pass up the wall was skated into by Eeli Tolvanen. Tolvanen raced ahead and set Justin Schultz up for a pretty goal from the slot.
10 minutes later, with the Kraken killing a penalty, Gourde showed off his forechecking skills and outfoxed not one, not two, but three Avalanche players, including Nathan MacKinnon. As all three defenders closed in around him, Gourde poked the puck to a crashing Brandon Tanev. Tanev had all day to pick his spot and beat Alexandar Georgiev.
Tanev celebrated his goal with the kiss heard around the world.
“I liked our start, obviously,” said Gourde. “To go up 2-0 against that group over there, it’s good; it’s really good. We were in a great spot after the first period.”
It was about as good of a period as we could have imagined (it would have been even better if Morgan Geekie’s early shot off the post had gone in), but the Kraken took their tentacle off the gas in the second, and the Avalanche took advantage.
Takeaway #2: The Avs found momentum in the second
Perhaps the boos from the Ball Arena faithful woke up the Avalanche players when they started the second period. They did look a lot better, and once Lehkonen tipped home a Cale Makar shot, the building came alive. So too did the Avs, and they added a nifty quick-strike goal just 48 seconds later when Evan Rodrigues connected with a streaking Nichushkin, who scored off a partial breakaway.
“We were obviously happy with the first period,” said coach Dave Hakstol. “Coming out [in the second], you know they’re going to have a push, and they did. Their second period, the first ten minutes, they were on the gas, and they had some real good opportunities and tied the game up.”
Seattle’s two-goal lead evaporated in an instant, and for the first time in the series, it felt like the Kraken were getting railroaded by the high-flying Avalanche.
“They are so talented,” said Gourde. “They’ve been in this situation before, they’re a great team, and we knew they were going to push, but for part of that second period, we didn’t really have a response. We’ve just got to manage the game a little bit better.”
It was a stark reminder that the Avs are an elite team, and they have the firepower to flip a game on its ear at any moment. Easing off for even a few minutes can cost you a win, something that should serve as a lesson for Seattle as it moves forward in this series.
“I think we just gave their top players some time and space, and when you give time and space to the quality of players that the other team has, they’re going to make plays,” said Tanev. “But at the end of the day, we’re gonna learn from our mistakes here, and we’re excited to get back home and get ready for the next one here.”
The Kraken did stop the bleeding as the second period went on, and they got to the third tied 2-2. But the momentum carried over to the final frame, and Colorado smelled blood in the water, peppering Philipp Grubauer with 31 shots in the last 40 minutes. They broke through one more time when a big rebound landed right on the tape of Toews, who was all alone in the right circle. His goal came at 12:59 of the third, and the Avalanche suffocated Seattle for much of the final seven minutes.
Takeaway #3: The Kraken are still in a good spot
After playoff games like this, it’s hard not to feel like the wind has been sucked out of your sails. But the Kraken have no reason to hang their heads. If you had told us a week ago that Seattle was going to split the first two games on the road, we would have been quite comfortable with that. The Kraken were playing with house money in Game 2, and the perspective only changed because they won first, then lost, instead of vice versa. Had it gone the other way, the fanbase would be riding high right now.
Jamie Oleksiak reminded us this week that the playoffs are filled with ups and downs, and it is unreasonable to expect the team to go 16-0 and win the Stanley Cup with ease. That’s not going to happen for any club, let alone an underdog that has been written off by almost everyone in the hockey world.
Now, it’s a brand new best-of-five series. The teams know each other and what they’re going to bring, and Seattle has proven to itself that it can hang right with the mighty Avs. The Kraken also have home-ice… ahem… “advantage” the rest of the way.
We said that last part cheekily because it’s no secret the Kraken haven’t been as good at home this season as on the road, but we cannot stress enough just how incredible the atmosphere is going to be Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena.
“It’s gonna be great in our building,” said Gourde. “First playoff game in our building, so it’s going to be awesome. I’m super excited.”
Added Hakstol, “I hope the fans are fired up for it, because we will be.”
The boys are heading home with a tied series against the Cup champs.
by Darren Brown | Apr 18, 2023 | Three takeaways
What a way for the Seattle Kraken to welcome their fans to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time, pulling off a huge 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche. The Kraken got off to a hot start, bent but didn’t break, and took advantage of an excellent 34-save performance by Philipp Grubauer to earn their first postseason victory.
We said in our Game 1 Preview the Kraken would need four close-to-perfect performances in this series to get by the Avs. Their Game 1 was pretty darn close to perfect.
“It’s playoffs, it’s a lot of fun,” said Alex Wennberg. “It’s a different game, but right now, I mean obviously we’re happy with this. We’re still going to look at it, see what we can do better, but I mean there’s a lot of good things here.”
Here are our Three Takeaways from an unforgettable opening foray into the playoffs, a 3-1 Kraken win over the Avalanche.
Takeaway #1: Fast start and team defense lead to success
Seattle’s players jumped out of the blocks fast, getting themselves quickly engaged with physical play and hard forechecks. Just 3:26 into the game, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde closed in on Devon Toews behind Colorado’s net. Toews panicked and coughed the puck up to Eeli Tolvanen, who shot, got his own rebound, and scored the first goal of the series.
It was that same line of Tolvanen, Gourde, and Bjorkstrand that was tasked with shutting down Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, and they mostly succeeded on this night. The lone goal against came after an icing, when coach Dave Hakstol couldn’t get the full group out there, and MacKinnon found Rantanen at the goalmouth soon after the face-off.
Still, the plan against a team like this—one that has so much high-end skill at the top of its lineup—should be to minimize the damage of those elite players.
“We’ve just got to clog the middle of the ice and make sure they take their chances from the outside,” said Gourde. “[We did] our best to manage the play, but I think overall we did a pretty good job tonight.”
One goal against from Rantanen and nothing from the rest of the roster is a pretty darn good night.
Takeaway #2: Sound Of Hockey bump for Alex Wennberg?
We talked to Alex Wennberg for the latest Sound Of Hockey Podcast, and he went out Tuesday and scored a goal and an assist to lift the Kraken to a historic win. Coincidence? Most certainly yes.
BUT… It was an exceptional performance by Wennberg, nonetheless. The Gourde line opened the scoring and then babysat MacKinnon and Rantanen the rest of the game. Wennberg and his linemates took care of the other offensive duties, showing yet again why this Kraken team is dangerous.
Early in the second period, with the score tied 1-1, Jamie Oleksiak sent a quick-up pass to Jaden Schwartz at the far blue line. Morgan Geekie drove toward the net and took Bowen Byram out of the play. Schwartz laid a perfect pass into the wheelhouse for Wennberg, who caught it and shot it in one motion, beating a clumsy-looking Alexandar Georgiev.
“It’s a great play by Schwartz right there,” said Wennberg. “I think we moved the puck up— I mean, obviously in the playoffs like this, you’ve got to take advantage of the opportunities. For me, I was just trying to shoot the puck, and I got rewarded. It’s great to help the team out, for sure.”
Wennberg wasn’t done there. In the third period, with Seattle holding a one-goal lead, it was that same forward line that effectively put the game away, and Wennberg was again a key factor. Justin Schultz rimmed the puck deep, and it looked like it was going to be turned over to Josh Manson. But Wennberg got in on the forecheck and took it right back, then quickly spun it out to Geekie in front. Geekie rifled it past Georgiev and made it 3-1.
You never know which forward trio is going to carry the mail on a given night for the Kraken. The Jared McCann/Matty Beniers/Jordan Eberle line was held off the scoresheet in this game, but it didn’t matter, because the Wennberg line was cooking.
You know what? Now that we think about it, the Wennberg success probably was because he did a podcast interview with us this week.
Takeaway #3: Philipp Grubauer loves playing against the Avalanche
There really is something about Philipp Grubauer playing against his former team. He was outstanding again Tuesday, stopping 34 shots, including several Grade-A opportunities in the second and third periods.
Just watching Grubauer play, you could tell he was confident and tracking the puck well from the jump. We’ve heard him say in the past that “sometimes the puck just hits you,” and Tuesday was one of those nights when—even if it looked like a sure goal—the puck would either find a way to hit him or deflect up and over the net.
“He did a great job today,” said Wennberg. “He’s making some big saves to keep us in the game, and I mean that’s what we need right now. So we’re really happy with him.”
For the Kraken to get through even one round of the playoffs, they need Grubauer to be on top of his game. He was excellent Tuesday in a contest he may be able to use as a jumping-off point for a successful run.
In four appearances against Colorado this season, Grubauer now has a .942 save percentage.
by Darren Brown | Apr 14, 2023 | Three takeaways
And with that, the second regular season in the history of the Seattle Kraken is in the books. The team is headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time, and although the Kraken got beaten by the Golden Knights at Climate Pledge Arena Thursday, they looked good in their last tune up before the postseason.
“We played pretty damn hard,” said coach Dave Hakstol.
As we expected, there was a fantastic atmosphere for Fan Appreciation Night, which got us even more excited for the upcoming playoff run. The fans were boisterous and showing their love for the Kraken all night long.
Here are our Three Takeaways from the last Kraken regular-season game of the year, a 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Takeaway #1: Vegas has Seattle’s number
With the loss Thursday, Seattle’s all-time record against Vegas is now a dismal 1-7-0 with the lone win coming Nov. 25. The Kraken outplayed the Golden Knights in every metric Thursday. Yet, they were only able to beat Laurent Brossoit once, despite racking up 3.21 expected goals in all situations, according to Natural Stat Trick.
There’s something about the VGK’s that might be creating a mental block for Seattle’s players, and we feel it when we watch games between the two teams. Even when the Kraken are the better squad, as they were Thursday, there’s a little voice in the back of the brain telling us Vegas is going to score and eventually win.
Despite the Golden Knights having a decent amount of offensive-zone time in the first 10 minutes, the Kraken didn’t allow a shot through to Philipp Grubauer in that time. They were getting sticks in lanes and blocking everything before it got to their netminder, yet somehow, we still knew a goal against was coming.
Sure enough, in classic Vegas-versus-Seattle fashion, Reilly Smith scored at 9:56 of the first period after kicking a Vince Dunn breakout pass attempt. The puck skittered into the feet of Grubauer and trickled over the line for a lucky icebreaker.
Then, as the Kraken dominated the second period with Grade-A chance after Grade-A chance, it was the Golden Knights that capitalized on one of their few opportunities. The teams had been trading penalties, and with another delayed call coming against Seattle and an extra skater on for Vegas, the Golden Knights worked it around until they got their preferred look. Jack Eichel shot from the top of the slot, and Grubauer couldn’t control the rebound. Alec Martinez jumped on it for the eventual game-winning goal.
Heck, even the empty-net goal to make it 3-1 late in the game was irksome. Chandler Stephenson didn’t even shoot the puck; he just poked it off Jared McCann’s stick inside the Vegas blue line, and it somehow slid all the way down the ice and right into the Seattle net.
A win would have been nice for the fans on this night, but the Kraken should feel pretty good about the way they played in their final dress rehearsal before the playoffs. Sometimes a team just has your number.
Takeaway #2: Central Division opponent incoming
Trying to figure out who the Kraken would play in the first round of the playoffs was downright mind boggling Thursday, with a stupid number of teams still in the running. Los Angeles narrowly beat Anaheim to hold the third spot in the Pacific Division and give the Ducks the best chance at landing Connor Bedard in the draft.
That solidified Seattle’s first wild card spot and means the Kraken will cross over to play a team from the Central Division, either Dallas or Colorado.
Remarkably, we still don’t know who it will be, because the Avalanche could jump over the Stars and win the Central with a victory over Nashville on Friday. If that happens, the Kraken would open against the Avs with Games 1 and 2 coming on Tuesday and Thursday. If Colorado loses in any fashion, Seattle would face the Stars, opening the series with games on Monday and Wednesday.
After we informed Morgan Geekie that it was down to those two Central teams, he said, “They’re good teams, obviously. I like our team. I think we match up well with anyone, and I know what we can do in this room. Guys are fully capable of competing night in and night out, so it’s going to be lots of fun. We’re ready for the opportunity, and we’re going to be ready for [whichever opponent we get].”
It is nuts that it is taking until the very last game on the very last day of the regular season to learn who Seattle will face in the opening round, but it has added a nice layer of intrigue for games around the NHL these last couple weeks. We’re thankful the Kraken won’t face Edmonton or Vegas to start.
Takeaway #3: Andre Burakovsky out for a while
Hakstol rarely says much about injuries, but Andre Burakovsky had been noticeably absent from team activities since his one appearance in a morning skate on April 3. At Thursday’s morning practice, we asked the coach if he had any news he could share on Martin Jones or Burakovsky. Hakstol said Jones was “just day to day,” and then said an update would be coming on Burakovsky before the playoffs.
Knowing Hakstol, since he did give a status on Jones but not on Burakovsky, we had a feeling the pre-playoff Burakovsky update wouldn’t be good news. We were correct. The team announced late Thursday that Burakovsky underwent surgery to repair the lower-body ailment that has been lingering since the All-Star break. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reported the recovery from the procedure will take about six weeks. So, unless the Kraken go on a long run, perhaps even to the Western Conference Final, Seattle will not get help from Burakovsky.
That’s a big blow for a team that has surely felt the winger’s absence. Burakovsky was the team’s leading scorer at the time of his injury, and Seattle has been inconsistent since he exited the lineup.
The good news here is that Geekie seems to have found a home in Burakovsky’s spot next to Jaden Schwartz and Alex Wennberg and has filled in well there. Geekie had a great game Thursday and helped create Jaden Schwartz’s goal, the only one the Kraken scored.
“He’s been great for us,” said Schwartz. “I think he’s helped me and Wenny out a lot, does a lot of little things right, wins battles, good on face-offs, and he can kind of play anywhere in the defensive or offensive zone. And he’s a big body.”
Added Geekie of his linemates, “They’re good players. I’m just trying to get them pucks; I think you saw that. On the goal, I was trying to get it to Wenny, and Wenny made a great play to Schwartzy, and he got it off. We had a couple good looks tonight, I thought. It’s just about creating those, whether we’re trying to play shutdown against somebody or trying to create offense, I think we created a lot of opportunities tonight, and hopefully we keep it rolling.”
It looks like Geekie will continue to play a huge roll for this team as it heads into the postseason.
by Darren Brown | Apr 10, 2023 | Three takeaways
The Kraken had a big second period Monday against the Coyotes and glided through to their fifth consecutive win, 4-1. Four unanswered goals by Oliver Bjorkstrand, Justin Schultz, Matty Beniers, and Jared McCann made a first-period icebreaking goal by Arizona’s Jack McBain feel irrelevant in the end.
The Kraken beat the Coyotes three times in eight days by a combined score of 16-4, so we are confident Arizona’s players will be happy this season series is now over.
Here are our Three Takeaways from another convincing Kraken victory.
Takeaway #1: 40 goals for Jared McCann
Jared McCann has made general manager Ron Francis look like a genius over the past two seasons. The Penguins traded McCann to the Maple Leafs just before the 2021 Expansion Draft, and Toronto turned around and exposed him to Seattle. Francis and company snatched McCann up, and he has proven to be (arguably) the best selection the Kraken made in said Expansion Draft.
Coming into Seattle’s inaugural campaign, McCann had never scored more than 19 goals in a season, and that was split between Florida and Pittsburgh in 2018-19. He followed that up with two consecutive 14-goal seasons, playing down the lineup for the Penguins, before getting to the Kraken and lighting it up.
“I just needed a chance,” said McCann. “There’s a lot of guys in the NHL who don’t get the opportunity, not that they don’t deserve it. Sometimes it’s just the way it goes.”
With an elevated opportunity in Seattle’s top six and a spot on the power play, McCann notched 27 goals last season, which was then a career high by a long shot, earning himself a five-year, $25 million contract extension from Francis in the offseason.
McCann has smashed that career high to bits this season and hit an enormous milestone Monday by scoring his 40th goal on a play we’ve seen from him on many occasions.
Every practice, McCann spends time looping around at the top of the left circle, taking a pass, and firing a shot. He does it over and over again to close out each on-ice session. The practice has paid off repeatedly this season, as McCann has done significant damage in that exact way. Against the Coyotes, he did it again.
On the power play, McCann passed it up top to Justin Schultz, who walked the line, and then gave it back to McCann. The lateral movement from Schultz gave McCann just enough time to do his little loop and get in position for his lethal shot. McCann fired it through the legs of Josh Brown and under the glove of Ivan Prosvetov.
The goal was also McCann’s 70th point of the year, after he had assisted on Matty Beniers’ second-period marker with a slick little drop pass.
Boy, at $5 million per year, that new contract looks like a real bargain now.
Takeaway #2: 100 points for the Kraken
The magical second Kraken season continued Monday, as they hit 100 points in the standings. As our good friend, Curtis Isacke, pointed out, Seattle is just the third team ever to reach 100 points after earning 60 or fewer the season prior.
Coming into this season, a 40-point improvement seemed almost unimaginable, and yet here we are.
“Everybody knows that’s a nice marker for our group,” said coach Dave Hakstol. “We want them to be proud of that. That’s a hell of a number. A lot of these guys that were here through the year last year, to be here a year later, they need to take a lot of credit for that.”
This is a weird point in the season, though. The Kraken have clinched a postseason spot and—based on possible playoff matchups—their best bet for getting through the first round likely comes from the Central Division. But as Seattle has mowed down bottom dwellers over the last week, they’ve closed in on Los Angeles for the third spot in the Pacific Division. If the Kraken do jump the Kings, they would most likely face Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers.
The Kraken did pass LA in the standings for a fleeting moment Monday, drawing level in points with a game in hand, but the Kings beat the Canucks 3-0 to go back up by two on Seattle.
It’s such an odd spot because fans should want Seattle riding high as they hit the postseason, but we at Sound Of Hockey would prefer not to face the Oilers right away. So, would it be better for Seattle to lose one or both of these next two games against Vegas? Or do they play to win to help on the mental side of things?
Takeaway #3: Perfect handling of the goaltenders
After Martin Jones got hurt Saturday, we got excited about the idea of Arizona State alumnus, Joey Daccord, potentially playing at ASU’s Mullett Arena. Daccord is the only ASU player ever to play in the NHL, and he was a huge part of bringing that program to life after it moved up to NCAA Division I. Daccord has such a love for the university, in fact, he still has a Sun Devil pitchfork on the back of his mask and a “Sparky” mascot hidden in the paint job.
Much to our chagrin, Hakstol opted to play Philipp Grubauer against the Coyotes, leaving Daccord and his cool mask on the bench.
We fully understand the decision, though, and we probably would have done the same thing. If it were us, and we were trying to prepare for the playoffs, we would want our starting goalie feeling as confident as possible at the conclusion of the regular season. Playing the first game of back-to-backs against a bad team gave Grubauer a much better chance of feeling good about himself than playing in the second game against the Golden Knights in Vegas (Seattle’s opponent on Tuesday).
Lo and behold, Grubauer looked sharp Monday and stopped 22 of 23 shots, surely a nice confidence booster for him.
And, in a classy move by Hakstol, Daccord was sent in to close the game in the last couple minutes. He got a standing ovation from the home crowd as he stepped onto the ice for a moment he will never forget.
“He didn’t get a chance to play in this building during his time here, but he had a huge role in growing this program and growing hockey in this community,” said Hakstol. “So, in an ideal world, maybe at a different time of year, it would have been nice to get Joey a start. We couldn’t— that wasn’t the right thing for our team, so we were able to get him a minute, minute and a half at the end of the game.”
We expect Daccord to get the start Tuesday in Vegas.
