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Monday Thoughts: Kraken Turnaround – Sound Of Hockey

Posted on by Taylor Reeves
Monday Thoughts: Kraken Turnaround – Sound Of Hockey

The Seattle Kraken picked up just six points out of a possible eight on what appeared to be, at least on paper, the most challenging road trip on the program. This came right after we were all searching for answers after suffering three straight losses to Anaheim and San Jose. How did this turnaround come about?

Start on time

To me, “starting on time” has always been part of the cliche vocabulary of coaches and players – something they break out to essentially say nothing to the media. However, the Kraken’s slow starts were a major factor in those three losses to Anaheim and San Jose. They trailed in all three of those games, but they scored first in three of four games on this road trip.

The Kraken still lead the league in allowing the first goal, ranking first in 62.1 percent of their games. But it’s about more than just scoring first – they looked committed from the start in all four games. There were early periods against the Devils and Rangers where they were outmatched, but it wasn’t the same sloppy affair as against San Jose.

Power play comes to life

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

It doesn’t look like the team is doing anything drastically different than successfully penetrating 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 as the quarterback of this top unit.

The “Line” by Shane Wright

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

It’s not entirely fair to credit this line with all eight goals, as some of them came on the power play when they weren’t on the ice together. However, the trio clearly makes a good impression, both at even strength and with the manpower advantage.

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

Bylsma spoke about Wright’s progress after Sunday’s game. “He has matured as a player over the last year and a half. But in training camp he was playing some of the best hockey he had ever played as a Kraken and he just needed to reboot and get back to playing like that.”

Respond to the scratch

I’m sure these guys are tired of being asked about this, but how about Björkstrand and Wright’s performances since they were scratched healthy? Although it’s a small sample, there are early signs that Andre Burakovsky could follow a similar path.

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

You still have a lot to do

As great as last week was, the Kraken still hold a .500 record, meaning just 82 points by the end of the season. Of course, that’s not enough for a playoff spot. However, their adjusted goal difference has been close to zero for most of the season, suggesting they are better than an 82-point team.

Other considerations

  • Philipp Grubauer’s surprise start didn’t start well as he allowed a soft goal after just 3:38 minutes. I can’t imagine the mental challenge of going to bed as a backup and waking up as a starter for an early afternoon game. He appeared a bit shaky for the remainder of the first period, but calmed down well in the final two periods.
  • In the middle of the second third, Grubauer came up big in a crucial phase and parried the deficit several times, keeping the deficit at two.
  • This goal was the catalyst for Sunday’s comeback, and I love everything about it:
  • The Kraken overcame a two-goal deficit for the fourth time this season on Sunday. I’ve mentioned this before, but last season they never came back from a two-goal deficit. This team is different.
  • The Kraken allowed the Rangers two answering goals on Sunday, bringing their total to 10 goals this season. That’s the third-highest number in the league, behind only Colorado and San Jose. (Reaction goals are goals scored within two minutes of the goal being scored.)
  • The Kraken’s victory over the Rangers was their first win at Madison Square Garden in franchise history. The only street arenas they didn’t win in? The Prudential Center against the Devils and of course the Utah Hockey Club 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 be revealed soon, but Matyas played on a U16 AAA team with Kraken team director Brennan Baxandall, who was instrumental in securing the emergency goalie.
  • Speaking of winless, the Kraken have never beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning at Climate Pledge Arena. They get another chance on Saturday.
  • Shane Wright is averaging the most goals per game (.29) of anyone in his draft class.
  • Offense is heating up: The Kraken have scored six or more goals in a game five times this season. That’s the same as last season’s total.
  • Jared McCann has only scored one goal in his last 10 games, but that isn’t expected to continue for long. It’s due.
  • Jakub Fibigr was included in the invitation list for the Czech Junior World Championships. Last week I mentioned that he was a marginal candidate for the final roster, but after speaking to a few well-connected people, it sounds like he’s all but locked in for the tournament in Ottawa.
  • Joining Fibigr on Team Czechia is Eduard Sale, who had a strong first season in the AHL. However, he has endured a difficult phase and has not picked up any points in his last six games – his longest pointless streak of the season.
  • Finland has not announced its squad ahead of the tournament but expects Kraken prospects Julius Miettinen (centre) and Kim Saarinen (goalkeeper) to make the squad, with Visa Vedenpaa (goalkeeper) an outside chance.
  • Seattle Kraken prospect goaltender Victor Ostman got into a goaltending battle in the Mavericks’ win over the Utah Grizzlies over the weekend, and I’d say he held his own.

Goal of the week

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

Player achievements

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

The coming week

The boys may be coming home, but the schedule doesn’t get any easier with matchups against Florida, Boston and Tampa Bay – three teams that are playing excellent hockey to start the week.

  • Tuesday: Florida Panthers. They are 5-0-1 in their last six games, averaging more than five goals per game during that time.
  • Thursday: Boston Bruins on Thursday. The Bruins are 7-2-0 since firing head coach Jim Montgomery and naming Joe Sacco as interim coach.
  • Saturday: Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning’s power play is in full swing and has reached 38 percent efficiency in the last 10 games.

Getting three points out of a possible six next week would be a solid result, but the Kraken need to continue to claw back points to get back into the playoffs.

Can they exceed this number? What do you say?

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