Despite donning his usual tight-lipped professionalism, not even head coach Dave Hakstol could stop from celebrating the significance of Thursday night’s win over the New York Islanders. Following Philipp Grubauer’s save on Noah Dobson to put a merciful end to the shootout after eight rounds, broadcast cameras caught Hakstol grinning behind the bench, offering up handshakes and fist bumps to his crew.
“It was awesome tonight,” Hakstol said Thursday. “Guys loosened up and as soon as one [shootout goal] went in for us, you can feel some of that tension go.”
More than one weight was lifted off the Seattle Kraken’s shoulders that night.
Sure, it took the Kraken 579 days to find success in the shootout again after their last win– all the way back in April of the inaugural season– but they exorcised that haunt to close out one of the worst three-game losing skids in recent memory, which had seen them outscored 13-5.
At the convergence point of past struggles and present demands, the circumstances of Thursday night’s game forced the Kraken to evolve on the spot in pursuit of a win. It was a solid effort, one the team hopes will equip them with skills to improve what’s been a dreary November.
“[Against the Edmonton Oilers], that was a disappointing loss because we felt like we did so many really good things there. True to the group in here, we addressed a couple of things we felt like we could do better, and then we said ‘let’s turn the page,'” Hakstol said.
Yes, the Power Play is Good
Timely scoring for a team who’s blown six two-goal leads and with already seven games ending in post-regulation to their name seemed unlikely. Down a goal late in the game, things looked bleak for Seattle. That is, until the power play had a say in the matter.
Thanks to a penalty drawn by Adam Larsson, the Kraken took full advantage of a golden opportunity to keep themselves competitive. After an earlier scoring chance missed the net, Jaden Schwartz fetched the puck low in the zone and set up Kailer Yamamoto, perched net-front, with possession in the slot. Deking around Semyon Varlamov, the winger scored his third of the season to tie the game, keeping their hopes for two points alive.
All three of Seattle’s goals scored in regulation against New York came on the man-advantage– no surprise coming from a power play which has spent this season quietly on fire.
Eighteen games in, the Kraken have accumulated 15 power play goals for a conversion rate of 26.8%, seventh-best in the league. Evidently, the changes made to units, in terms of personnel, strategy, and implementation of the two, have paid off. Seattle’s 20.31% shooting percentage on the man-advantage is the only aspect of their production seeing an improvement season-to-season in spite of their offensive regression.
According to Hakstol, “continued growth [and] continued chemistry,” an improved ability to “retrieve pucks and keep possession,” and opportunism when it comes to exploiting “gassed” opposing penalty kills have all been contributing factors to their newfound success.
Such an improvement isn’t just about bragging rights– there’s a direct correlation between positive game outcomes and production on the man advantage. Seattle’s scored a power play goal in every one of their six wins this season, four of which have seen them score at least two.
Hakstol’s Message Finally Hitting Home?
Shot volume has come under fire for the Kraken, who’ve managed to outshoot their opponents only three times this month in eight games. Improvement came only after Hakstol had some choice words for his team at a practice following a dismal effort against the Edmonton Oilers, wherein Seattle managed only nine shots on goal through the first two periods: “Talk about shooting identity my ass. No f**king shooting identity, shoot the f**king puck.”
Both games of the back-to-back saw resolution in this department. Seattle outshot the Oilers 35-31 and the Islanders 32-23, demonstrating that the offensive road blocks they’ve hit haven’t been due to a lack of skill, but rather, a lack of effort.
Only time will tell of the sustainability of this trend. But if the Kraken can use the Vancouver Canucks’ vulnerabilities as a way to work out kinks in their own performances as opponents have done to them all season, tonight’s game could prove immensely beneficial in proving lasting change has been made in areas of weakness.
Vancouver’s generational shooting percentage, as well as elite performances from J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Quinn Hughes (the top three scorers in the league, respectively), have swiftly earned them a reputation for offensive domination. However, the Canucks’ defense sit 20th in the league in expected goals against per game (2.60) and allow the 13th-most shots on goal against per game (31.2). Poor shot suppression is an area of their game ripe for exploitation.
Core Staying Hot with Success of Second Line
Having only been paired for three games and 13.6 minutes since Brandon Tanev’s return to the lineup, his line, along with Alex Wennberg and Jaden Schwartz, have controlled 77.8% of the total shot quality on-ice. It’s an unexpected combination given how sharply Tanev’s won’t-take-no-for-an-answer mentality contrasts with the more strategic, textbook skill of his linemates, but one proving quickly beneficial.
Following morning skate today at Rogers Arena, Hakstol spoke to that success, saying the line is one the team hopes “can continue to grow in terms of what they’re doing and the chemistry they’re bringing.”
“He [Tanev] adds some speed to that group, which creates forecheck, creates possession, gets them up ice. And obviously the intensity he brings, he has a tendency to drag his linemates right into the fight. Schwartz’s play has been good all year, he’s been one of our most consistent guys all year.”
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