On Saturday, Nov. 29, the Seattle Kraken are hosting the Edmonton Oilers for a matinée tilt at 1:00 P.M. This game marks the second of two home games for Seattle. In the game prior, they lost 3-2 to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, Nov. 26. Perhaps after a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, the Kraken will be ready to get back into winning form.
Related: Kraken’s Jaden Schwartz Out Six Weeks with Lower-Body Injury
Ironically enough, the Oilers’ last game was also against the Stars. They hosted Dallas on Tuesday and fell 8-3 to the Texas hockey team. This game is just a one-off on the road for the Oilers. They’ll be back in Edmonton for a five-game homestand, starting Dec. 2. Of course, the Oilers will want to have positive energy going into the homestand, so they’ll be looking to pull out the win against Seattle today.
Kraken Storylines
At practice on Friday, Kaapo Kakko was a full participant, playing on the right wing of the third line. With Berkly Catton and Frederick Gaudreau as his line partners, he seemed to be in good hands. This is the first practice where he was not wearing a red no-contact jersey since his latest injury. His return to the ice seems like a good indicator that he will be back in the lineup soon, maybe even today against the Oilers.
Unfortunately, just as the Kraken get one forward back, they lose another. Jaden Schwartz was injured in Wednesday’s game against the Stars. He exited the game early and did not return. Seattle announced yesterday that Schwartz will be out for the next six weeks with a lower-body injury. He was a major part of the top-six forwards group and currently leads the Kraken in points. One can only hope for a speedy recovery for him.
The player to watch in this game is Vince Dunn. Just 18 seconds into the third period, he tied the game with an impressive, speedy shot. This goal was his fourth of the season and has now put him in the top five on the Kraken’s overall leaderboard. He has been a strong two-way defenseman all season and continues to step up each game.
Team Stats
Seattle Kraken
Season Record: 11-6-6
Top Scorers:
- Jaden Schwartz – 8 goals (G), 7 assists (A), 15 points (P)
- Jordan Eberle – 8 G, 6 A, 14 P
- Matty Beniers – 3 G, 11 A, 14 P
- Brandon Montour – 5 G, 8 A, 13 P
- Vince Dunn – 4 G, 9 A, 13 P
Goalie Stats:
- Joey Daccord – 7-4-4, 2.59 goals-against average (GAA), .906 save percentage (SV%)
- Philipp Grubauer – 4-0-1, 2.14 GAA, .912 SV%
- Matt Murray – 0-2-1, 2.21 GAA, .922 SV%
Edmonton Oilers
Season Record: 10-10-5
Top Scorers:
- Connor McDavid – 10 G, 24 A, 34 P
- Leon Draisaitl – 14 G, 15 A, 29 P
- Evan Bouchard – 4 G, 17 A, 21 P
- Jack Roslovic – 10 G, 8 A, 18 P
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – 5 G, 11 A, 16 P
Goalie Stats:
- Stuart Skinner – 8-7-3, 3.18 GAA, .878 SV%
- Calvin Pickard – 2-3-2, 4.04 GAA, .847 SV%
Projected Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
As per The Hockey Writers’ projected lineup article.
Seattle Kraken
Mason Marchment — Matty Beniers — Jordan Eberle
Jared McCann — Chandler Stephenson — Eeli Tolvanen
Berkly Catton — Frederick Gaudreau — Kaapo Kakko
Tye Kartye — Shane Wright — Ryan Winterton
Vince Dunn — Adam Larsson
Ryan Lindgren — Brandon Montour
Ryker Evans — Jamie Oleksiak
Joey Daccord
Philipp Grubauer
Scratched: Josh Mahura, Jani Nyman, Cale Fleury
Injured: Jaden Schwartz, Matt Murray, Max McCormick
Edmonton Oilers
Matt Savoie — Connor McDavid — Zach Hyman
Vasily Podkolzin — Leon Draisaitl — Andrew Mangiapane
Adam Henrique — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Mattias Janmark
Trent Frederic — Curtis Lazar — Connor Clattenburg
Mattias Ekholm — Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse — Alec Regula
Brett Kulak — Ty Emberson
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard
Scratched: David Tomasek
Injured: Jack Roslovic, Jake Walman,
Next Up for the Kraken
The Kraken and the Oilers will have a home-and-home, so Seattle will play their next game in Edmonton on Thursday, Dec. 4.
