The Seattle Kraken had a five-game homestead, with the last game playing out on Oct. 26, 2024, against the Carolina Hurricanes. While the Kraken wanted to come out strong before a large stretch of travel games, they unfortunately were not able to land the mark. Seattle lost 4-1 to Carolina, taking their overall record for the season to 4-4-1. With their fourth loss in nine total games, this is still the best start that the Kraken have had since the inception of their franchise.
Although the goal is to win, the Kraken still had some standout moments within the game. Here are three main takeaways from last night’s game.
Daccord Continues to Keep Team in the Game
While Joey Daccord allowed three goals into the net, without him, the score would have been much higher. Daccord recorded 35 saves off of 38 shots on goal, with a save percentage of .921.
While Daccord did make some questionable plays throughout the duration of the game, he is not the only one to blame here. The absence of defense is beginning to make a stronger presence throughout gameplay. Without Vince Dunn, the defensive players are beginning to find their footing as new defensive pairs begin to take to the ice. However, this is no excuse to leave your goalie stranded.
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While the Kraken attempt to find that missing piece in place of Dunn while he is on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), they better find it fast. With their next game being a travel game on Tuesday (Oct. 29), the Kraken have some time to shake off the rust and come together to support their goalie.
McCann Breakaway Results in the Only Goal of the Game
Halfway into the third period, Jared McCann found his chance to finally put the Kraken on the board. While the Hurricanes were trying to score on the Kraken again, Matty Beiners was able to block one of the shots, obtaining possession of the puck. He then passed the puck to McCann, who made quick work of getting the puck to the other side of the ice, and into the back of the Hurricanes net.
Although this was the only goal that the Kraken scored for the night, it was a work of art. McCann scored his 100th goal in Kraken colors when they hosted the Colorado Avalanche during the Frozen Frenzy on Oct. 22. With this goal, he is now on his way to 200.
Time for Kraken to Stick to the Same Lines
Head coach Dan Bylsma has been attempting to shake up the lineup for each game it seems. While there was a streak where the lines stayed relatively the same, when you compare the Oct. 26 lineup to the Oct. 24 lineup, there is not a lot that stays the same. Every line except the first forward line received a shake-up. Most notably, Shane Wright moved up to the third line while Brandon Tanev and Yanni Gourde were moved to the fourth line.
While Bylsma is attempting to find the strongest match-up following each loss, it unfortunately doesn’t seem to be working in his favor. Constantly making shifts and changes to the lineup doesn’t give the players a moment to find their groove with the other players. Especially for the older players who have been with the team since the beginning, constantly changing up the lines doesn’t give them time to find that spark that they have already found with other members of the team.
Hopefully, Bylsma will be able to get a finalized lineup soon. Otherwise, it might not work out in favor of the Kraken.
On the Road Again
The Kraken look to break their three-game losing streak when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. EST.
