3 Takeaways From Kraken’s Preseason Win Versus Flames

The Seattle Kraken wrapped up their preseason home schedule Thursday night with a physical matchup against the Calgary Flames at Climate Pledge Arena. Seattle will see Calgary again in less than a week, with the two teams meeting Oct. 1 for the regular-season opener before returning to Seattle for the Kraken’s home opener on Oct. 4.

While there is still plenty to sort out before any of the games count, Thursday provided one final look at several players and line combinations before the regular season begins.

Here are three takeaways from Seattle’s preseason matchup with Calgary.

Samoskevich and Beniers Already Look Comfortable Together

It did not take long for Mackie Samoskevich to make an impact. On his first shift, he generated several quality looks before being stopped by Devin Cooley. A few minutes later, he shared a shift with Matty Beniers, and the chemistry between the former University of Michigan teammates was immediately noticeable. Of course this is something to continue to watch to see if the connection proves to be something beneficial for the team.

In addition to their familiarity with each other following their tenure at Michigan, the two also spent much of the offseason training in Boston and Vancouver alongside San Jose Sharks young stars Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, with Berkly Catton also part of the group.

Thursday’s projected top line of Beniers, Samoskevich and Jared McCann was one of Seattle’s most dangerous combinations. It did not necessarily dominate the scoresheet, but there were several instances where Samoskevich and Beniers appeared to anticipate each other’s movements. Bobby McMann ended up slotting in for McCann as the game went on, with that combination being almost equally as dangerous looking.

Showing More Willingness to Stand Up for Each Other

This may have been the biggest takeaway from the night, aside from winning in the shootout. About five minutes into the second period, Calgary delivered a heavy hit on Jared McCann, sparking a scrum. Another hit followed, a fight broke out behind the Seattle net and suddenly seven players were in the penalty box—though not all of them were in the box because of those fights.

It was messy and disrupted the flow of the game, but there was something encouraging about Seattle’s response: The Kraken did not simply absorb the physical play and move on. That has been an area of criticism for Seattle in the past.

There have been flashes of a different mentality since then, and Thursday was arguably one of the best examples. Seattle was willing to answer when one of its players was hit, even against a Calgary lineup made up largely of AHL players. There is an important distinction between standing up for a teammate and losing control of the game, though. Seattle needs the former without allowing it to become the latter.

The Kraken Need to Find the Balance Between Physicality and Discipline

That brings us to the downside of Seattle’s response. Ville Ottavainen had been having a strong game before receiving a game misconduct. He was physical, generated some quality chances and looked determined to make an impression as he competes for a spot in the lineup.

Losing any player because of this kind of chaos can be a tough development, but for Ottavainen, who is trying to crack the opening night roster, it could have potentially impacted those chances for him, that is until Kraken head coach Lane Lambert said “I didn’t mind it. [Brennan] Othmann… ran him in Calgary with a high hit and got kicked out of the game. So really good job by Otto [Ottavainen] to respond to that, and I don’t have a problem with that at all” in response to a postgame media question from Emerald City Hockey.

The same can be said for the overall flow of the game. Once the second-period scrum erupted, Seattle spent considerable time dealing with penalties instead of playing hockey. According to Kraken Audio Network’s Mike Benton, there were a total of 15 penalties, 4 fighting majors, and 42 penalty minutes issued in 3:54 during the second period.

This can be especially problematic for a team trying to establish consistent chemistry before the regular season. Seattle looked dangerous when it played its game. The McCann-Beniers-Samoskevich line generated some of its best offensive stretches, Chandler Stephenson showed flashes of the high-level play expected of him and Berkly Catton looked more comfortable playing through contact after adding muscle during the offseason.

The Kraken cannot afford to let emotional stretches erase those positives. That was also evident when Seattle continued scrambling after a goal was called off. There is nothing wrong with immediately trying to get it back, but the pursuit can become counterproductive when the play gets sloppy. Fortunately, Brandon Montour eventually put the puck in the net for a goal that counted early in the third period.

Seattle should be difficult to play against. It should defend its teammates and embrace the physical side of the game. But it also needs enough composure to turn that edge into productive hockey. Thursday’s shootout win showed the Kraken can bring the physicality, now they just need to prove they can control it.