What a contrast from the first Seattle Kraken preseason game to the last one.
The Kraken opened the preseason with a disorganized, non-competitive 6-1 home loss to the Calgary Flames, a team that finished with the same number of points as Seattle last season (81) when neither made the playoffs. Back at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday, the Kraken dominated the franchise which came up one victory short of a Stanley Cup championship, whipping Edmonton, 6-2.
By law, any conclusions drawn during the NHL preseason must include the disclaimer that games were contested during the NHL preseason. Okay? So maybe the tragedy & comedy theatre masks overstate the progress made by the Kraken.
But if you think the results don’t matter, you may think again after watching this side-by-side clip of postgame comments from coach Dan Bylsma. Note both the words and tone of the new bench boss when discussing both the Calgary loss and the Edmonton victory.