Kraken @ Sharks PREVIEW: Wrighting the Ship

The Need to Knows

The Time: 7:30pm PT

The Place: SAP Center in San Jose, California

Place to Watch: ROOT Sports Northwest+, NBC Sports California, ESPN+/SportsNet+

Place to Listen: KJR 93.3-FM

An Opposing Viewpoint: Fear the Fin

Know Your Enemy

• The Sharks are the worst team in the league with a record of 17-48-8.
• Their leading goalscorer is Fabian Zetterlund, who has 20 goals in 73 Games. Their leading point-getter is Mikael Granlund, who has 50 points in 60 games.
• It is hard to think of a statistical category the Sharks aren’t worst in the league at: they’re truly a deeply, deeply grim team…but that IS the point, as they’re fighting for the ping-pong balls to give them a chance at Macklin Celebrini
• Their starter is Mackenzie Blackwood, who currently has a .900 SV% through 36 starts, of which he has won 11. He will fall, but you do have to fight him for it.

Game Preview

Welcome back to your POST-Easter game; this time against a much more…well, manageable foe than the Dallas Stars.

The Know Your Enemy section says it all, honestly; the difference between the Sharks and their AHL affiliate; the Barracuda, might as well be a crest on their sweaters. They are bad in ways that should probably get the Sharks Macklin Celebrini in what increasingly feels like a landslide. Their fun and good players or sneakily productive ones have been shipped off, and what remains is the whalefall skeleton of an NHL team. This is a rough team that is counting the days to the draft lottery and granting themselves the patience to “Sim To End”.

Granted, the Kraken still actually need to beat them. The last time they played each other was back in January, and the Kraken seemingly felt so bad for the Sharks they spotted them a 2-0 shutout. It was ugly.

What’s potentially different about this game? Well that’s easy; the Kraken have called up yet more youth; this time in the form of Shane Wright. Wright’s season with the Firebirds has been very productive so far; having been in the top 5 of scoring for Coachella Valley just about all year, and the Kraken need goals BADLY. If he can control a game or two against the moribund teams like San Jose, Anaheim, and Arizona; who make up a lot of the upcoming schedule, then hope will spring eternal just like it did back when Matty joined the team for the first time!

Let’s just hope they dont play an April Fools’ Joke on us.