In a perfect world, the Seattle Kraken would have won Monday’s game (4-3) over the visiting New Jersey Devils. That would have halted a two-game slide, and they could have ventured off for a road swing with some wind in their sails (or waves pushing the Kraken in the right direction). But this is the real world, and hockey can be a cruel sport. The final result was a 3-2 New Jersey win, and Seattle is left to pick up the pieces of a home stand that went awry in a hurry. Here are the takeaways.
Kraken Fight for One Another
It was Pride Night at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen much “pride” in Seattle this season, at least not consistently. The Kraken have lacked a certain toughness and have been relatively easy to push around.
Say what you will about fighting (the “it’s part of the culture” argument does get tired after a while), but sometimes you have to fight for your clan, and there have been precious few moments when Kraken supporters could warn their rivals to “mess around and find out!” However, last night’s second period was one of those moments.
New Jersey’s Jonas Siegenthaler decided to hit Jaden Schwartz from behind as the Kraken forward landed head and shoulder first into the boards behind the Devils’ net. Why he would do that is anyone’s guess, but he messed around and found out, as Matty Beniers (not much of a fighter) and Kaapo Kakko (also not much of a fighter) came to their teammate’s defense. However, they didn’t exactly start brawling. Amidst the aggressive hugging after Siegenthaler’s hit, it was Brandon Montour and Brett Pesce who really got into it, with fists flying.
The Kraken needed to stop getting pushed around, and while Montour has been statistically good this season, he’s also showing that his heart is with the team through thick and thin. What’s more, it was nice to see newcomer Kakko demonstrate how strong his allegiance is. That’s one way to ingratiate yourself to the fanbase.
We don’t advocate for violence at The Hockey Writers, but this is still hockey.
Another Fine Grubauer Game Wasted
Philipp Grubauer might deserve an apology. This author has been less than kind toward the veteran German netminder. Granted, his numbers aren’t great, with a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.46 and a save percentage (SV%) of .880. However, since Joey Daccord’s absence due to injury, the 33-year-old has put in some solid performances. He was genuinely good on Saturday (Jan. 4) versus the Edmonton Oilers, despite the 4-2 defeat, and was solid against the Devils, too.
Yes, he conceded three goals, but he also shielded his net from Jack Hughes early, blocked Timo Meier off a truly horrendous Seattle giveaway, prevented Jesper Bratt from scoring a couple of times in the middle frame, and repelled a golden opportunity from Dawson Mercer in the third period when the Kraken fell asleep, yet again.
He’s not a perfect goalie. The rebound on the first goal was too tasty for New Jersey to pass up, and the second goal in the middle frame (with less than a minute to go) maybe should have been stopped. But whatever misgivings people might have had about Gubauer filling in for Daccord for a few weeks are, so far, unfounded. He won’t stop all of them. He rarely does. But he is giving his team a chance. That much deserves a salute.
Markstrom Shuts the Door on Seattle
After giving Seattle’s keeper his flowers, one of the main reasons the game ended the way it did, aside from some awful defensive miscues on Seattle’s part, was Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom, the game’s very deserving first star.
The Kraken didn’t give him the busiest night, sending only 23 shots his way, to say nothing of the Adam Larsson and Shane Wright markers that beat the Swede. But the stop on Eeli Tolvanen was one they’ll play on all the end-of-season highlight reels. Sure, Tolvanen doesn’t get everything on his shot, but 99.9% of the time that goes in. Most flustering was that it came in the third period with Seattle pushing for the equalizer, down 3-2.
Related: Kraken’s Lower Lines Are Pulling Their Weight
Not long after that, Markstrom pulled another rabbit out of his hat – and by “rabbit” we mean save and by “out of his hat” we mean off his backside with traffic around him as he batted an airborne puck away from the danger zone.
Nights like these make the Kraken such a confounding team to cover. They don’t score much, averaging 2.85 goals per match to rank 23rd league-wide. They’ve also only tallied the 24th most shots on goal this season through 41 games. But then opportunities like the magical Markstrom saves happen, and it’s tempting to argue the club is unlucky. Which is it? Is the team scoring-deficient, or are they snake-bitten? It’s likely a little from column A and a little from column B. Then again, as the old philosophy goes, a good team can create its luck.
The Kraken’s four-game home stand concluded with a dispiriting 1-2-1 record. It began on a high with a 5-2 victory over the Utah Hockey Club but ultimately left fans asking the same questions as last season and through the first three months of 2024-25. Now, they’re back on the road, this time out East, where their travels begin in Columbus to play the Blue Jackets on Thursday (Jan. 9).
