Kraken @ Rangers RECAP: Patchwork Lineup Drops Second of Back-to-Back in 5-2 Loss

Roll the Highlight Reel!

Game Notes

• A bruised up Kraken roster took the ice at Madison Square Garden tonight, and a proportionally blunt effort ensued. Although Adam Larsson returned, Vince Dunn, André Burakovsky, and Matty Beniers were all sidelined for this one, the former two day-to-day and the latter dealing with an injury now classified as upper-body; Beniers has since been moved to IR.
• Have to hand it to this team for fighting until the very end, however, even when the game seemed over well before the third period began.
• Jared McCann felt his team had more of a “jump” in this one versus Monday morning’s game, even despite ailments and normal back-to-back fatigue taking their toll on energy. “We have some guys battling some stuff right now, sickness-wise. We’re grinding, trying to take a positive out of everything right now. Obviously the injuries and the sickness is adding up right now, but we’re just gonna stay focused here and try to push through.”
• Offense roared to life a little under halfway through the first period, with three goals from both teams in the span of 3:27. Consecutive power plays helped Vincent Trocheck to New York’s first, quickly answered by Jordan Eberle on a man advantage of their own. But spacious, slow defense allowed the Rangers ample opportunity to score again, this time coming from Erik Gustafsson.
• The majority of the second period was spent in the offensive zone. Sustained pressure was generated by the Kraken after a largely choppy first period, and although the final score doesn’t reflect it, Seattle had the better chances the entire night. Through sixty minutes, the Kraken should have scored upwards of four goals, but an expectedly impressive outing from Igor Shesterkin eliminated all possibility of an offensive surge (2.36 GSAx).
• Free-for-alls on the rush and support from the crease boosted New York to two more goals in the second period, and a final empty-netter late in the third. But Seattle can rest assured knowing they dominated at five-on-five– the Rangers didn’t generate an opportunity with at least a 10% chance of scoring at even strength, and the Kraken won the shot quality battle by a wide margin in all three periods.
• Notably, both of the Kraken’s goals came on the power play. Seattle’s last goal of the night, from Jared McCann, came with six minutes remaining. So while such a scoring sequence couldn’t and didn’t amount to anything significant in this single game, success on the man advantage is something the Kraken can use going forward.
• It was a rough night for Chris Driedger who, in his first start since Dec 27, allowed 2.03 more goals than expected to end the night with a .818 SV%.

Let’s Give a Hand To…

• Ryker Evans didn’t only record a career-high in TOI, but his 25:04 was the highest recorded by any skater from either team on-ice.
• The top line, of Tomáš Tatar, McCann, and Eberle, controlled 86.7% of the total shot quality and 70.4% of the total shot attempts. Chemistry is budding between Tatar and his linemates, and chemistry three years in the making between McCann and Eberle continues to pay off.
• Dave Hakstol, who still kept tonight’s goaltender a secret even though it was obvious who would play– the man sticks to his word.

Three Stars of the Game

⭐️Kaapo Kakko (1G)

⭐️⭐️Igor Shesterkin (28/30, .933 SV%)

⭐️⭐️⭐️Mika Zibanejad (2A)

And here’s tonight’s heat map, courtesy of NaturalStatTrick. Pretty solid offensive zone presence for what it’s worth.