New Lines, Tough Lessons Kraken’s Souvenirs from the Road

October’s officially in the books, and the Seattle Kraken are heading back home.

Following a rough opening to the season, Seattle sought to right some wrongs on the road by way of a four-game east coast stint visiting the Detroit Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning. Total redemption couldn’t be found but the cross-country jaunt proved a breakthrough, with the Kraken’s offensive pulse showing signs of life and scrambly, desperate play finding composure.

Two overtime games, two wins, and 13 goals ensued for a 3-5-2 record to close out the month.

Contextualized by the team’s history slow starts are nothing new– Seattle went 3-5-1 and 4-4-2 over their last two Octobers– but these circumstances only rouse urgency to capitalize on what’s shaping up to be a watershed November. Twelve of the next 14 games take place against Western Conference opponents, seven from the Pacific Division.

Pillaging five of eight possible points after a winless first four games of the season is an encouraging feat, accomplished with toil and lessons learned leaving the Kraken well equipped for future obstacles– so long as they stay fresh in their minds.

Spreading the Wealth

Seattle may have lit the offensive ‘spark’ they hoped thanks to a forward group whose adaptability is proving an asset. Prompted by blows to the depth chart and an underperforming attack, head coach Dave Hakstol used the road trip to roll the dice on new lineup combinations, maximizing the roster’s offensive potential by evening the distribution of weaponry.

So far, it’s paying off. In their first six outings, Seattle averaged 1.83 goals per game. That number has risen to 3.25 in their last four.

Some of the lineup changes include Jordan Eberle and Oliver Bjorkstrand switching on the right wing, and Tye Kartye’s promotion to the first line. Chief of these moves, however, was the shifting of Jared McCann from the first to the third line, where he subsequently spent the entire road trip.

McCann himself credits his new linemates, Yanni Gourde and Eeli Tolvanen, as responsible for his recent boost in production after a slow start. Keeping up with the pair of hardworking forwards forced him to return to foundational elements of the game– what he calls the “meat and potatoes”– that he’s overlooked in his own performance as of late.

“I wasn’t playing great the first seven, eight games of the year,” McCann reflected. “I gotta get back to the basics and what made me successful last year, so I think [the move is] a step in the right direction.”

Over the last four games McCann doubled his production, recording three goals and four points, including an overtime winner for the Kraken’s first successful rally over Tampa Bay in franchise history. Compared to his two points in his first six games, the change of scenery bodes well in the quest to jumpstart core scoring.

Lineup rearrangement has also pulled offensive contribution from new faces. Call-up Devin Shore, able to slot into the fourth line in Brandon Tanev’s absence, joined Tolvanen, Eberle, and Brian Dumoulin as Kraken skaters scoring their first goals of the season on the road.

Fumbled Leads, Fumbled Wins

Seattle has blown a two-goal lead in every single game of the road trip, frequently surrendering goals late for a third period goal differential of -5. Naturally, on the tail end of a scoring drought, the Kraken have forgotten how to play with a lead. Remedying that remains the next big priority.

At least partly to blame is Seattle’s offensive inconsistency. Slow second periods following opening frames of offensive dominance are becoming habitual, exemplified by a goal differential of 0, and expectations of performance fluctuate amid varying game situations. For Seattle, the quality and consistency of their attack can dissipate in the span of seconds after unfavorable turns of events, like goals against and opposing power play attempts.

Coincidentally, the Kraken generate the least amount of shot quality when they’re up by two goals.

Retreating after gaining or surrendering leads is the last way a team should respond to the situation. Without continued offensive effort to fortify leads, they’re worthless. What good is a lead that will inevitably be erased in the span of a twenty minute period?

Seattle’s win over Tampa Bay for the first time in franchise history could not have been accomplished without offensive consistency. And it almost wasn’t– just as in the prior three games, the Lightning were able to tie the game in the third period to send the game to overtime despite Seattle holding two separate two-goal leads throughout the game.

Overtime won’t always end in the Kraken’s favor, and the best way to ensure two points is to not leave the outcome of games up to chance. Winning games in regulation can only be accomplished by a consistent offensive effort.

“[Winning is] never gonna come easy in this league,” Gourde told the media. “Winning is really hard, and you just gotta bear down and make sure you play through 60 minutes and make sure you get those two points.”