On Dec. 3, we addressed that the Seattle Kraken were experiencing a rough patch. At the time, it was just before puck drop on the first of four away matches in the East against the Carolina Hurricanes. The fear was that a club lacking grit and confidence was about to deal with the big boys like the Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils. Here we are a week later, and Seattle went 3-1-0 on that trip. How did they accomplish this, and has it turned their season around?
Kraken Fight Firepower with Firepower
Three of the rivals Seattle faced on their road swing – the Devils, Hurricanes, and New York Rangers – all excel at scoring. Carolina ranks fourth in the NHL, averaging 3.74 goals per game; New Jersey is eighth with 3.40 goals per game, and the Rangers tenth, with an average of 3.27. Only the New York Islanders have a worse offense than the Kraken (2.59 to 3.03).
Seattle’s 3.03 average as of Monday morning was lower seven days ago. Therein lies the first key component to what head coach Dan Bylsma’s group accomplished on the trip. The Kraken erupted for 18 goals. They smashed four or more against three opponents. Only the Devils – the lone defeat (3-2) – mitigated Seattle’ sudden offensive surge. The final scores were:
- Kraken 4-2 Hurricanes
- Kraken 5-2 Islanders
- Kraken 2-3 Devils
- Kraken 7-5 Rangers
Some Seattle players found their groove during the club’s travels. Oliver Bjorkstrand finished with six points via three goals and three assists. Eeli Tolvanen tallied two goals and three assists. Vince Dunn, finally healthy, registered two goals and a quartet of assists. Young Shane Wright, a player we’ve spent a lot of time writing about, had a great stretch, netting three goals and adding an assist.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Kraken’s 7-5 Win Over the Rangers
There were many questions about who would lead the ensemble while captain Jordan Eberle continued to rehab from his pelvis injury and surgery. Over Thanksgiving weekend, the team looked adrift and lacking confidence. Rather than one player taking charge, a host of Kraken pitched in. That’s what they are: a bunch of guys. When they play well collectively, good things happen. When they don’t, they look about as mediocre as any other squad.
Kraken’s Unpredictable Defensive Play
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the team’s unpredictable defensive play. Suppose the following two pieces of information: the Kraken had a road game against the Hurricanes and a few days later would concede five goals to the Rangers. What would people guess?
Surely two defeats. Not so. Seattle vanquished both opponents, including the Rangers, despite them lighting the goal lamp five times. Sunday’s game (Dec. 8) was a gong show. Down 3-1 and playing sluggishly, Seattle erupted for five unanswered of their own en route to victory.
Yet, only days before, they nullified a vaunted Carolina attack to the tune of two goals and 19 shots on net. Before anyone argues that the wackiness of the Rangers game was because Philipp Grubauer was between the pipes, the German got the nod on Dec. 6 against the Devils, repelling 33 of 36 shots and looking quite good doing so. To add to the irony, against the Rangers, he let in a couple of embarrassingly soft goals yet made heroic stops.
Lastly, Bylsma and his staff seem to be struggling to figure out what the third defensive pairing should be. For the first two games (against the Hurricanes and Islanders), the duo was made up of Josh Mahura and Will Borgen. For the latter two (Devils and Rangers), Mahura was replaced with Ryker Evans.
Coincidentally or not, versus New Jersey, that pair had the second-highest number of shot attempts against (18). At Madison Square Garden, they suffered the fewest shot attempts against (16 compared to 22 and 28 for the other pairings) but the second-highest expected goals against (xG against) with .814.
Beniers, Stephenson Missing in Action
Now that the Wrights, Bjorkstrands, and Dunns have woken up, it’s time for Matty Beniers and Chandler Stephenson to do the same. For all the praise that can be deservingly showered onto Seattle for their determination and resiliency during these four games, those two very expensive forwards were mostly quiet.
In his defense, Beneirs tallied four assists, but a goal or two would have been nice. He spent the road trip as the second-line centre with Jaden Schwartz and Yanni Gourde as partners. As for Stephenson, he had a trio of assists. The difference here is that he was one of the two big, shiny names signed by general manager Ron Francis in July. Defenseman Brandon Montour was the other, but the latter is having a solid campaign.
The team finished the road trip with a plus-6 goal differential. Stephenson finished with an even rating. That’s not great, nor is it the end of the world. However, for the season, the former Golden Knight and Stanley Cup champion is minus-10, and the team is plus-1, which raises some questions.
It’s not as though he’s ever had an incredible nose for the net. The most he’s tallied in a season was 21 goals in 2021-22. Conversely, his two goals through 28 matches means he’s on pace for barely six all season. He netted at least 16 in each of his final two seasons in Vegas. Are the Kraken getting their money’s worth ($6.25 million annual value)? Should he be downgraded to a lower line, if only temporarily? Questions, questions…
The biggest question of all is: Have the Kraken turned their season around? Now is not the time to hold one’s breath. It’s nice knowing that the club will return to the confines of Climate Pledge Arena. On the flip side, the Florida Panthers (Dec. 10), Boston Bruins (Dec. 12), and Tampa Bay Lightning (Dec. 14) are up next. If they can replicate what they did on the road at home, then we can talk about the season looking up.
