The Seattle Kraken remain winless against the Vancouver Canucks after dropping a volatile matchup, 5-4. The Canucks got their first win of the season, improving to 1-5-2, while the Kraken saw themselves falling to 3-4-2.
All in all, this was a really entertaining hockey game to watch, and it highlighted ways the Kraken have improved from last season. However, it also immediately thrust some of last season’s issues into the spotlight. Here are some takeaways from the first of four games between these two rivals this season.
The Good: Passing the Eye Test
One of the biggest things I noticed was the Kraken’s hunger to find loose pucks. The game was physical right off the bat with a couple of big hits and fights less than four minutes in. While the Kraken were out-hit 21-13, they used their physicality to constantly win battles below the goal line and extend possessions.
Since I’m talking about possession, let me mention some advanced statistics. At 5-on-5 play, the Kraken beat the Canucks in these categories:
- Corsi-for percentage: 65.85%
- Scoring chances-for percentage (SCF%): 63.89%
- High-danger chances-for percentage (HDCF%): 61.54%
- Expected goals-for percentage (xGF%): 55.5%
Throughout the game, Kraken defensemen really impressed me with their willingness to jump into the play. They were more active in contributing offensively, which led to a goal and two assists from defenders. They thought more offensively too; Jamie Oleksiak scored his second of the year on a one-timer from Justin Schultz after the two switched to their off-sides before an offensive zone faceoff. Fun side note here, Oleksiak also scored exactly 11 months ago on Nov. 27, 2021.
It’s promising to see the Kraken appear a lot more willing to shoot. They fired 36 shots on goal (SOG) and have averaged 32.6 per game this season. There’s a different vibe around the Kraken this season, and this is a perfect example of it. This team knows they can win games, they just have to figure out how to play a complete game.
The Bad: Kraken’s Demons Return Shortly Before Halloween
When you just look at the even-strength goals scored, it’s a 3-3 game. When you look at special teams, the Canucks took the win 2-1, as they only got two power plays and capitalized on both. The Kraken penalty kill still needs some serious work, which we knew coming into this season, but through nine games they haven’t shown any improvement.
The penalty kill has also allowed 11 goals on 31 power-plays against which converts to only killing off 64.5% of penalties. No matter how many offensive pieces you bring in, if you can’t kill penalties then you aren’t going to win games. Additionally, they only won 41.8% of faceoffs which further entrenches them in the NHL’s basement with an abysmal 39.5 faceoff win percentage (FO%) on the season. To be completely honest, that one is pretty self-explanatory and something that needs to be triaged before December starts.
The Ugly: Goaltending Woes Continue
There were tons of question marks surrounding who the Kraken backup would be at the start of the offseason. Chris Driedger fell to injury, and general manager Ron Francis signed veteran Martin Jones to be the answer. Now that Philipp Grubauer is on injured reserve, Jones is thrust into the starting role and hasn’t gotten off to the most confidence-inspiring start.
While he has the team’s three wins, his numbers are extremely concerning. Against the Canucks he saw just 18 shots, and only saved 14 for a .778 save percentage (SV%). On the season, he’s allowed 20 goals in seven games for a 3.45 goals-against average (GAA) and has an .858 SV% overall.
Related: Kraken Should Be Concerned With Grubauer’s Early Struggles
Given the uncertainty around Grubauer’s timeline, head coach Dave Hakstol really needs to get Joey Daccord into a game sooner rather than later. Last season, Daccord spent a lot more time on the bench than playing, but when he saw consistent playing time in the American Hockey League (AHL), he played well. He needs to get into games fairly regularly to get into a rhythm and grow, and so that he doesn’t lose confidence from his coach’s lack of faith.
Seattle Shoutouts
The first shoutout is going to be a bit of a joint one. Jordan Eberle recorded two assists against the Canucks, which put him over the 600-point milestone. In 867 games, he’s scored 262 goals and 339 assists for 601 points. Also, Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau deserves a shout-out for earning his 600th career win. In my opinion, not just coaching, but winning 600 NHL games deserves mention, regardless of which team he’s on.
Oliver Bjorkstrand really impressed me during the third period; he hunted down the puck several times, forcing the Canucks to remain pinned in their own end late in the game. Overall, he didn’t score and was a minus-1, but had four shots, a block, and a hit. I’m going to be bold here and say that he’s scoring a goal next game. Finally, congratulations to Morgan Geekie on his first NHL fight.
Kraken Need To Strike a Wounded Prey
The Kraken need to capitalize in their next matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 29 at home in Climate Pledge Arena. The Penguins will be traveling to Seattle from Vancouver for the second half of a back-to-back and closing out a five-game road trip. They’re 1-2-1 on the road this season, and the Kraken need to capitalize.
Credit to Natural Stat Trick for the advanced statistics
