Kraken @ Flyers RECAP: A Slow Start Leads to Loss

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Game Notes

• The first period was sloppy for the Kraken. Even in moments where the shot quantity was tied up, it felt like the ice was more strongly tilted in the Flyers’ favor. Vince Dunn’s cross-checking penalty on Garnet Hathaway was unnecessary, and it allowed an improving Philadelphia power play to convert for a goal. The circumstance that lead to up to Dunn’s cross-check was a turnover and breakaway attempt, and that was part of the sloppiness. It felt like the Kraken couldn’t keep possession for long.
• Hockey can be weird sometimes. Tomáš Tatar’s goal (which was then later given to Matty Beniers, but appears to now be Tatar’s again according to NHL.com) was under a lengthy review for whether or not it was offsides. Since the coach’s challenge was unsuccessful, the Kraken earned a power play out of it. But the Flyers are masters of the power kill with a league-leading 12 shorthanded goals. Going down a man really only plays into Philadelphia’s trap. So the logic follows that because the challenge for the Flyers to keep a 1-goal lead failed, they ended up getting a 1-goal lead back…Yep. Hockey.
• Oh, to add to the weirdness, it was the first time in 229 games for the Kraken than an offsides challenge did not result in a goal being overturned.
• Instead of using the end of that period as a wakeup call, the Kraken went a little over 8 minutes without getting a shot on goal in the 2nd. The Flyers can be good shot blockers as a solid defensive team, but the Kraken not being able to generate shots through traffic enough to get to Cal Petersen doesn’t make coming back from a 1-goal deficit easier.
• Part of this might have been induced from the Flyers’ defensive acumen, but the Kraken also didn’t seem to look cohesive during the second frame when they did have possession with the puck.
• Jared McCann gets paid the big bucks for a reason, folks. Only 35 seconds into the third period, he got in a beautiful angled shot right over Petersen’s shoulder to tie the game up. What more can I say than these are the kinds of big-game moments that have made him such a valuable player for the Kraken.
• Yet, that was the most jump they had in the third. After Sean Couturier’s goal to give the Flyers the lead back, it seemed to sap the Kraken’s energy away. The Kraken had only 2 shots compared to the Flyers’ 14 in the final period. Having to kill off multiple penalties also made it more difficult for the Kraken to gain any offensive momentum, but even when it was back to 5-on-5 hockey, the Kraken weren’t doing enough with the puck.

They Said It

After the game, McCann, Alex Wennberg, and Coach Dave Hakstol were available to the media. When talking about the loss, McCann was quick to give respect to what the Flyers are capable of, saying that, “They have guys who can skate and they make you play plays under pressure,” especially about the Flyers’ penalty kill. McCann also thought that the Kraken were playing better and creating more offense as the night went on: “Wasn’t much in the first two periods, but third period, I thought we got more pucks to the net and got our cycle game going.”

Wennberg believed the team was “lacking quality,” and he said that “We give up a shorthanded goal, and which is not ideal, and after that it’s just a tough game,” indicating that he viewed that moment as the major deflating point in the Kraken’s game. He also held a lot of praise for Joey Daccord’s play, especially coming back from an extended break: “I feel like for a goalie it’s even tougher, though, being away. I feel like he did a great job, he made some really good saves, and sometimes we didn’t help enough.” He also said he didn’t want to blame any poor play on his part due to “rust.”

Coach Hakstol felt that “we did enough offensively to put ourselves in a position to gain a point,” but also pointed out specifically that the way the Flyers scored each of their goals—“We gave up a power play goal, we gave up a short-handed goal, and we gave up a goal off of the face-off”—went against how the Kraken “take pride in” in playing.

Let’s Give a Hand To…

• Jared McCann: As I said above, the way he came out with the jump in the third period to tie the game back up was one of the biggest signs of life the Kraken had in this game.
• Joey Daccord: Wennberg echoes my own thoughts with how often Daccord had to stand on his head in this game. Even though he gave up 3 goals, he stopped many prime opportunities—especially on the power kill. The game could’ve been much more lopsided if he hadn’t been solid during the third period kills.

Three Stars of the Game

⭐️ Scott Laughton (1G)
⭐️⭐️ Ryan Poehling (1G)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jared McCann (1G)

To cap it off, here’s tonight’s heat map courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, showing that this game really was more lopsided than the score indicates.

It was the first game back from an extended break, and while it’s a potential explanation for how the Kraken played tonight, it’s not an excuse. If the Kraken want to continue to have a spot in this playoff chase, they need to start correcting the little things that add up to losses such as these.

Keep Calm, and Post Zoidberg When We Win