Hey you. You’re swept up in all this Seattle Kraken hype. You want to know more about hockey but don’t know where to start. Well, we want to help make these games easy and fun for you to watch.

Throughout the season, we’ll release Landlubber’s Guides designed with the new fan in mind. This includes basic need-to-know info for you to absorb before you watch Kraken games and highlights.

Let’s dive into the Anaheim Ducks.

Are they any good?

Well, maybe. Heading into the season, they were predicted to finish last or near last in the Pacific division by most projections. Early on that looked accurate, as the Ducks began the year with just 2 wins in their first 9 games. Since then, however, they’ve ripped off 5 straight victories and currently sit 3rd in the division. Special teams has been a big factor during this streak, as they’ve tallied at least one power play goal in each of the last five while surrendering only one power play goal themselves over that same stretch.

Who should I look out for?

• John Gibson (Goalie, #36) - Gibson is one of the better goaltenders in the NHL who doesn’t get the praise he deserves as he’s been on some pretty bad Ducks teams these past few years. He’s only allowed five total goals over his last four starts and will not make life easy on the Kraken tonight.

• Troy Terry (RIght Wing, #19) - Terry is on a career-high 12-game point streak right now and sits 3rd in the NHL in goals scored with 9. He’s already surpassed his previous career-high for goals in a season (7 last year in 48 games) and it seems about time to start calling this a breakout year for the 24-year old.

• Youth Uprising: Trevor Zegras (Center, #46), Jamie Drysdale (Defense, #34), Mason McTavish (Center, #37) - The Ducks have struggled enough in recent seasons to land a top-10 draft pick in each of the past 3 years. All 3 picks are currently on the NHL roster. Zegras made a name for himself at the 2021 World Juniors, where he lead Team USA with 18 points in 7 games on their way to a gold medal. Drysdale currently leads all NHL rookies in time on ice. McTavish became the youngest player to score a goal since Patrick Laine’s first goal in 2016. The future is bright in Anaheim, and it’s beginning already.

Any Seattle ties?

Forward Sam Steel played junior hockey for the WHL’s Regina Pats. In 2017, he met the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL Finals. Despite scoring 3 goals and 3 assists in that series, his Pats lost to a Seattle team on an overtime goal by none other than the Kraken’s own Alexander True.

Odds & Ends

• Ducks general manager Bob Murray resigned his post yesterday as the team investigates allegations of verbal abuse and harassment of players and staff
• Ryan Getzlaf became the Ducks all-time leading scorer this year on Halloween, surpassing Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne

• Seattle’s selection from the Ducks in the expansion draft was defenseman Haydn Fleury. Interestingly enough, Fleury’s first career NHL goal actually came against Anaheim, back when he was with the Carolina Hurricanes

• The team was literally founded by the Walt Disney Company and based on the movie “The Mighty Ducks” starring Emilio Esteves. But for some reason they switched away from those sweet jerseys into the brown and orange monstrosities they have now.

Tonight’s game starts at 7pm PT at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA. Regional fans can watch on ROOT Sports NW, out of market fans can stream the game on ESPN+