Kraken @ Flames PREVIEW: Reignite the win streak!

The Need To Knows

• The Time: 6:30pm PT
• The Place: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
• Place to Watch: ROOT-Northwest, ESPN+/SportsNet+
• Place to Listen: KJR 93.3 FM
• An Opposing Viewpoint: Red Mile Hockey

Know Your Enemy

• The Flames are 14-15-5, with a 4-4-2 record over their last ten, and currently nursing a loss to the LA Kings coming into this one. All of that puts them at 33 points, good for 4th in the Division, of which they are tied with the Kraken.
• The Flames have a pair of players leading the charge for them this year; Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman each have 24 points in 34 games, and both lead a category of scoring: Kadri for assists with 16, and Coleman for goals with 12.
• Their power play is technically run by Elias Lindholm, who has 2 power play goals and runs the first power play unit. That said, they have one of the most anemic power plays in the entire league at the moment; currently clocking in at a 11.8% success rate. Only St. Louis and Philly have worse.
• Jakob Markstrom is the starter for Calgary, having logged 19 starts. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Dan Vladar subbed in tonight as Markstrom is coming off getting shelled by the Kings. Markstrom currently sports a .904 SV%, and Vladar a .886 SV%.

Game Preview

Welcome back everybody! I hope we all got what we wanted for Christmas, and if we don’t celebrate that, I hope you had a good Monday anyway.

The Kraken and Flames’ recent records are somewhat similar, but fundamental differences exist in how both sides see it; Calgary feels like they’re not nearly playing to the level expected of them and they know it…and Seattle feels like this is a great improvement over the disaster of a November they ended up having. Vibes are all over the place in this one.

Last time these teams met, Calgary won it in OT after a 3rd period collapse. In the time it took for that to happen, Seattle went through it’s gruesome losing streak and came out the other side, and Calgary has just sort of…backfired constantly; never getting a foothold in the division and never getting too many wins in a row to establish momentum. Naturally, their critical weakness comes in net, where both Vladar and Markstrom have been gruesome. We as Kraken fans know well the dangers and frustrations of not being able to trust your goalie, so watching a team white-knuckle their own sticks that isn’t a member of the Kraken will be a fun experience!

So naturally the X-Factor here is their goaltender, and attacking the net hard by attacking the middle of the ice. However, depending on the starter it should actually change their shot selection entirely. According to NHL EDGE, a source of information I am hoping is fairly reliable, Markstrom is incredible when shots come to him from his glove side (.957 SV%) and struggling with shots towards the blocker and the middle of the ice (.840 SV% give or take), and the situation is reversed with Vladar. Of course, the cheat code seems to just be getting the puck right up on both of them, as neither in the high-danger portion of the ice (Right in front of the goalie and right in the middle) are very good. The Kraken will have to hit the net hard and fast to create the kind of chaos that can create good scoring chances, and if they do that, that’s a vital 2 points gained.

Given how well they’ve handled better competition lately, I think they can do it.