SEATTLE — This week in Kraken hockey didn’t garner the results they were seeking.
After a stretch of their best hockey this season, the Kraken faltered Monday with one of their worst efforts, a 6-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, followed by a slow burn of a setback, 3-0 to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.
With Columbus on deck for Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena followed by a quick back-to-back set in California, the Kraken have found themselves slipping in the standings again.
Having games against Pacific Division foes could help them gain ground, but only if they make the most of it.
Some thoughts on the last week or so of play:
Net-front presence increasing
Forward Ryan Donato said he ended up in front of opponents’ nets pretty organically.
He added that it’s an area of the ice where he should strive to be.
“It’s just something that’s happened over time,” he said. “I mean, I take pride in not really being afraid of anything coming at me and then kind of standing in the way if I need to and hopefully winning some battles down low and getting pucks back, and I think that’s one of the reasons why I work on it a lot and am one of those guys.”
Until Donato’s goal Nov. 27 at Florida, the Kraken hadn’t registered any tip-in goals all season, according to the NHL’s stats website. Even as offense has picked up and they have crashed the opponent’s net plenty, they hadn’t generated goals from the front of that net.
Donato was conscious of that, and as a young player still seeking a consistent role, he was more than happy with the progress he has made in that area of the ice.
“Guys in this league are so big and strong, and they are so good at boxing out and not letting you get to the net when you’re getting shots through, I think that’s one thing we wanted to get better at,” he said. “We wanted to get more chances there. It’s such a big part of the game, and at the end of the day where a lot of goals get scored.
“I think that’s something we might not even have to be told, but inherently know you have to be there.”
Decisions on defense
With captain Mark Giordano back from COVID-19 protocol, the Kraken could have a decision to make on the blue line.
They’ve had a glut of defenders since the start of the season. By keeping Will Borgen on the roster despite not playing him in the first 21 games, they’ve carried eight defensemen this season.
That has led to a lot of inconsistent rotations. For the most part, Borgen has been the odd man out but has received more playing time since his debut Nov. 26 at Tampa Bay. Jeremy Lauzon has sat for a couple of games after struggling with giveaways.
Carson Soucy, who had the turnover that led to Winnipeg’s first goal Thursday, has come the closest to cementing a role. Haydn Fleury hasn’t been able to do that despite coming to Seattle with much fanfare.
“We know what we have, we have competition there,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “It’s not just young guys that are competing for spots and opportunities. We want that competition, but we don’t want guys to be jittery when they’re in the lineup and worried about that.”
Soucy said the competition and rotations “can be tough. In practice that can be the only reps you’re getting, so you take those a little more seriously and focus into how you play those reps in practice.
“But usually once you get into one game after the first couple of shifts, natural ability takes over, and we’ve all been there. So it takes over pretty quickly.”
If they need more forward depth or want to make a trade, the defensive depth will allow them some flexibility.
For now, though, the rotation stays.
“We try to do the work every day whether guys are in the lineup or out of the lineup,” Hakstol said. “Just make sure the six guys that are in are feeling good about their preparation and confident to do the job on every given night.”
Power play slows
Entering Friday’s games, the Kraken had one of the NHL’s strongest power plays since the beginning of November.
Before Thursday’s game their 29 percent conversion rate was fourth-best in the league over that time.
That’s why it’s sudden lack of effectiveness Thursday was especially frustrating for the team, especially because the Jets had the league’s second-worse penalty kill entering the game.
They failed to generate shots in the first four man advantages against the Jets, and a lack of aggressiveness cost them.
When the power play has had success, it’s when they’ve played a more aggressive style, or at the least, prioritized getting shots on goal.
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