The Seattle Kraken played their third game out of five on this road trip, and perhaps the jet lag is getting to them. The Kraken flew to Ottawa to play the Senators on Nov. 2. Unfortunately, they were not shown any Canadian hospitality, as the Senators shut them out, 3-0.
While the Kraken had a lackluster performance, here are the three takeaways from last night’s game.
Grubauer’s Goaltending Exceeds Expectations
This is the first game that Phillipp Grubauer started in since the Oct. 22 game at home when they played against the Colorado Avalanche. After almost two full weeks of sitting on the bench, he had a little bit of rust to shake off.
Out of 22 shot attempts, Grubauer was at least able to save 20 of those, for a save percentage of .909. This was better than Joey Daccord’s save percentage of .897 in the game on Oct. 31 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Out of the 11 games that the Kraken have played this season, this is only the fifth game that Grubauer has started in.
Related: Kraken Must Make Joey Daccord the Clear Number One Goalie
While his save percentage was impressive, he also had an incredible save attempt in the first period. Adam Gaudette had a shot attempt, that was questionable based on the angle in which the puck was shot. Although he was not able to cover the puck up successfully, Grubauer forced the referees to look over the goal, to see whether or not it would be considered an actual goal. Unfortunately for the Kraken, it put the Senators on the board with their first point of the night.
The Defense, Where Is the Defense?
Everyone is so quick to blame the goalie, but truly, take a look at the defense. It was practically not even there all night.
With Vince Dunn still on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), Ryker Evans has taken his place on the first defensive line with Adam Larsson. After his attempt to stop the empty-net shot that Tim Stützle was able to get, he should not be on the third line. Jared McCann was performing better as a defenseman at this moment than Evans was, as he was able to get to the net sooner than him.
Even though Evans had a shot that hit off of the goalpost during the second period, he was obviously not able to find the back of the net. This was a great shot attempt, however, he still does not feel like a first-line defenseman player. He only played a little less than half of the games in the NHL last season. Maybe head coach Dan Bylsma should switch the lines up to have a more seasoned NHL player on the first line.
With Cale Fleury currently being called up by the Kraken from the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL), perhaps it is time to put him in the lineup. Instead of calling him up, just to make him a healthy scratch, it might be time to put his talent to good use.
At Least There’s Still a Penalty Kill
While the Kraken allowed three goals to the Senators, none of them were when they were on a penalty. The Kraken received three penalties, each for two-minute minors. Despite being down a man for six minutes throughout the 60-minute game, the Kraken did not allow the Senators to get a power-play goal.
There’s Still a Fighting Chance
The Kraken will look to break their two-game losing streak when they play the Boston Bruins on Nov. 3. With back-to-back games and a travel day to boot, the Kraken need to get back in form.
