The Seattle Kraken are back on the ice today, Oct. 14. They travelled up north to Canada to begin their six-game road trip. The first stop is Montreal, to take on the Canadiens. Seattle is currently on a two-game winning streak, winning their first two games at home before heading on the road. They are also in the top spot in the Pacific Division.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Kraken’s 2-1 OT Winner Over the Golden Knights
The Canadiens have played three games so far this season. They lost their first game against the Toronto Maple Leafs and then won their next two against the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. Both teams are currently on two-game winning streaks. Tonight’s game will be a highly competitive matchup as both teams look to stay in the win column.
Kraken Storylines
As mentioned above, this is the first of six games for Seattle on the road. The Kraken have found success in their games at home so far; they need to continue that success on the road. Although the Kraken have had two major injuries in Kaapo Kakko and Ryker Evans to start the season, the team has found a winning formula without them.
The first line they have is with Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, and Matty Beniers. They have been successful in scoring, with McCann and Eberle recording two points and Beniers recording three to begin the season. This line is one to watch in this game, to see which players will continue to add to their point total.
Although he plays defense, Vince Dunn has been a great offensive force for the team. He and Beniers are tied with three points for the season; each has a goal and two assists. He has been a successful addition to the blue line, and his offensive power has been one to watch.
One of the biggest questions in these first few games is when will Berkly Catton make his NHL regular season debut? He played five preseason games with Seattle and scored one goal. It was unclear if he would make the team or if he would get sent down to the Western Hockey League to play with the Spokane Chiefs for one more season. After his preseason performance, Lane Lambert added him to the opening night roster. However, he has spent the past two games watching from the press box as a healthy scratch. Of course, the coaching staff wants to make sure Catton is ready for his debut. At the same time, surely he’s itching to get on the ice. Hopefully, his debut comes soon, and Catton makes a strong impact with the team.
Team Stats
Seattle Kraken
Season Record: 2-0-0
Top Scorers:
- Vince Dunn – 1 goal (G), 2 assists (A), 3 points (P)
- Matty Beniers – 1 G, 2 A, 3 P
- Jared McCann – 2 G, 0 A, 2 P
- Jordan Eberle – 0 G, 2 A, 2 P
- Mason Marchment – 1 G, 0 A, 1 P
Goalie Stats:
- Joey Daccord – 2-0-0, 0.96 goals-against average (GAA), .968 save percentage (SV%)
Montreal Canadiens
Season Record: 2-1-0
Top Scorers:
- Nick Suzuki – 0 G, 5 A, 5 P
- Zack Bolduc – 3 G, 1 A, 4 P
- Cole Caulfield – 1 G, 2 A, 3 P
- Brendan Gallagher – 0 G, 3 A, 3 P
- Oliver Kapanen – 2 G, 0 A, 2 P
Goalie Stats:
- Jakub Dobes – 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .968 SV%
- Sam Montembeault – 1-1-0, 2.54 GAA, .894 SV%
Projected Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
As per The Hockey Writers projected lineup article.
Seattle Kraken
Jared McCann — Matty Beniers — Jordan Eberle
Jaden Schwartz — Shane Wright — Eeli Tolvanen
Mason Marchment — Chandler Stephenson — Ryan Winterton
Tye Kartye — Frederick Gaudreau — Jani Nyman
Vince Dunn — Adam Larsson
Ryan Lindgren — Brandon Montour
Josh Mahura — Jamie Oleksiak
Joey Daccord
Matt Murray
Scratched: Berkly Catton, Cale Fleury, Philipp Grubauer
Injured: Kaapo Kakko, Ryker Evans, Max McCormick, Lleyton Roed
Montreal Canadiens
Cole Caulfield — Nick Suzuki — Juraj Slafkovsky
Zack Bolduc — Kirby Dach — Brendan Gallagher
Alex Newhook — Oliver Kapanen — Ivan Demidov
Josh Anderson — Jake Evans — Patrik Laine
Mike Matheson — Noah Dobson
Kaiden Guhle — Lane Hutson
Arber Xhekaj — Alexandre Carrier
Sam Montembeault
Jakub Dobes
Scratched: Joe Veleno, Jayden Struble
Injured: David Reinbacher, William Trudeau, Gannon Laroque
Next Up for Seattle
After the Kraken play the Canadiens, they will continue travelling the Eastern Coast side of Canada. They will travel to Ottawa and play the Senators on Thursday, Oct. 16. We’ll see if the Kraken can roll into Canada’s capital with a record of 3-0-0.
