The Seattle Kraken continue their road trip with a stop in Illinois to take on the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, Nov. 20. Their first stop on this road trip was against the Detroit Red Wings, where they lost 4-2 on Tuesday. The Blackhawks will end a four-game homestand tonight. They have won two of their last three contests, beating the Calgary Flames 5-2 on Tuesday.
Related: Kraken Recall Forward Oscar Fisker Molgaard From Coachella Valley
This is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Kraken hosted the Blackhawks earlier this month in a 3-1 win.
Kraken Storylines
The Kraken announced they have recalled forward Oscar Fisker Molgaard from their American Hockey League affiliate, Coachella Valley Firebirds. The young forward has played in 14 games with 10 points this season. With Jared McCann still out and Kaapo Kakko on injured reserve (IR), this game could mark Molgaard’s NHL debut.
Meanwhile, another Kraken rookie will be looking to make an impact against the Blackhawks tonight. Berkly Catton almost scored his first NHL goal against the Red Wings on Tuesday, but it was credited back to Ryker Evans. The puck originally seemed to have bounced off Catton’s skate, but after deliberation, it was deemed that he did not touch the puck. He has had a strong showing, with three assists through 14 games in Seattle this season.
The player to watch in this game is Matty Beniers. He is on a three-game point streak, including an assist on Jordan Eberle’s goal on Tuesday. He now leads the team in assists with 11 and has 13 points this season.
Team Stats
Seattle Kraken
Season Record: 9-5-5
Top Scorers:
- Jordan Eberle – 8 G, 6 A, 14 P
- Jaden Schwartz – 7 G, 7 A, 14 P
- Matty Beniers – 2 G, 11 A, 13 P
- Chandler Stephenson – 4 G, 8 A, 12 P
- Vince Dunn – 3 G, 9 A, 12 P
Goalie Stats:
- Joey Daccord – 6-3-3, 2.85 goals-against average (GAA), .898 save percentage (SV%)
- Philipp Grubauer – 2-21 GAA, .903 SV%
- Matt Murray – 0-2-1, 2.21 GAA, .922 SV%
Chicago Blackhawks
Season Record: 10-5-4
Top Scorers:
- Connor Bedard – 13 G, 16 A, 29 P
- Tyler Bertuzzi – 9 G, 6 A, 15 P
- Andre Burakovksy – 7 G, 8 A, 15 P
- Frank Nazar – 5 G, 8 A, 13 P
- Teuvo Teravinen – 4 G, 9 A, 13 P
Goalie Stats:
- Spencer Knight – 7-3-3, 2.42 GAA, .924 SV%
- Arvid Soderblom – 3-2-1, 2.52 GAA, .912 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
Jaden Schwartz — Chandler Stephenson — Ryan Winterton
Eeli Tolvanen — Berkly Catton — Shane Wright
Tye Kartye — Frederick Gaudreau — Jani Nyman
Vince Dunn — Adam Larsson
Ryan Lindgren — Brandon Montour
Ryker Evans — Jamie Oleksiak
Joey Daccord
Philipp Grubauer
Scratched: Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Josh Mahura, Cale Fleury
Injured: Kaapo Kakko, Matt Murray, Jared McCann, Max McCormick
Chicago Blackhawks
Ryan Greene — Connor Bedard — Andre Burakovsky
Tyler Bertuzzi — Frank Nazar — Oliver Moore
Teuvo Teravainen — Ryan Donato — Ilya Mikheyev
Colton Dach — Sam Lafferty
Alex Vlasic — Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk — Connor Murphy
Sam Rinzel
Spencer Knight
Arvid Soderblom
Scratched: Landon Slaggert
Injured: Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson, Shea Weber, Laurent Brossoit
Next Up for the Kraken
After tonight’s game, the Kraken continue on their road trip, facing the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, Nov. 22, in the first half of back-to-back contests over the weekend. They conclude the trip on Sunday against the New York Islanders before they return home to host the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
