Kraken Played Best Hockey During East Trip – Hockey Writers – Seattle Kraken

On December 3rd, we talked about how the Seattle Kraken was going through a rough patch. At that time, it was before the puck dropped in the first of four East games against the Carolina Hurricanes. The fear was that the club that lacked courage and confidence was about to face the big boys like the Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils. Here it is a week later, and Seattle went 3-1-0 on that trip. How did they achieve this, and has their era changed?

The Kraken Fight Firepower with Firepower

The three opponents Seattle has faced on the road – the Devils, Hurricanes, and New York Rangers – are all top scorers. Carolina ranks fourth in the NHL, averaging 3.74 goals per game; New Jersey is eighth with 3.40 goals per game, while the Rangers are tenth, averaging 3.27. Only the New York Islanders have a worse offense than the Kraken (2.59 to 3.03).

Seattle's average of 3.03 as of Monday morning was the lowest in the past seven days. Herein lies the first important part of what coach Dan Bylsma's team has accomplished on the road. The Kraken scored 18 goals. Score four or more against three. Only the Devils – one loss (3-2) – slowed Seattle's sudden attack. Final scores were:

Some Seattle players find their groove during the team's travels. Oliver Bjorkstrand finished with six points on three goals and three assists. Eeli Tolvanen tallied two goals and three assists. Vince Dunn, finally healthy, registered two goals and a quartet of assists. Young Shane Wright, a player we've spent a lot of time writing about, had a great time, scoring three goals and adding an assist.

Related: 3 Takeaways From the Kraken's 7-5 Win Over the Rangers

There have been many questions about who will lead the ensemble while captain Jordan Eberle continues to recover from injuries and pelvic surgery. On Thanksgiving weekend, the team looked sleepy and lacked confidence. Rather than a single player in charge, dozens of Kraken have entered. That's what they are: a bunch of guys. When they play well together, good things happen. If they don't, they look as small as any other squad.

The Kraken's Unexpected Defensive Play

On the other end of the spectrum is the team's unpredictable defensive play. Let's say the following two pieces of information: the Kraken had a road game against the Hurricanes and a few days later would allow five goals to the Rangers. What can people guess?

Two defeats indeed. this is not the case. Seattle has defeated both opponents, including the Rangers, even though they have scored five times. Sunday's game (Dec. 8) was a gong game. Down 3-1 and playing sluggishly, Seattle rattled off five unanswered runs en route to victory.

However, a few days ago, they destroyed Carolina's prize-winning attack with two goals and 19 shots on net. Before anyone could argue that Rangers' poor performance was due to Philipp Grubauer being between the pipes, Germany got the nod on 6 Dec. against the Devils, he made 33 of 36 shots and looked good doing it. To add to the irony, against Rangers, he conceded a few embarrassingly soft goals yet made heroic stops.

Finally, Bylsma and his staff seem to be struggling to figure out what the third defensive pairing should be. In the first two games (against the Hurricanes and Islanders), the duo was Josh Mahura and Will Borgen. In the last two (Devils and Rangers), Mahura was replaced by Ryker Evans.

Coincidence or not, compared to New Jersey, that pair had the second highest number of shot attempts against it (18). At Madison Square Garden, they faced fewer shot attempts (16 compared to 22 and 28 for the other pairs) but the second highest expected goal against (xG against) at .814.

Beniers, Stephenson Missing in Action

Now that the Wrights, Bjorkstrands, and Dunns have risen, it's time for Matty Beniers and Chandler Stephenson to do the same. For all the credit that can be given to Seattle for their determination and tenacity in these four games, those two most expensive forwards have been quiet.

In his defense, Beneirs had four assists, but a goal or two would have been nice. He spent the road trip as a second-line center with Jaden Schwartz and Yanni Gourde as teammates. As for Stephenson, he had three assists. The difference here is that he was one of two big, flashy names signed by general manager Ron Francis in July. Defenseman Brandon Montour was another, but the latter is having a strong campaign.

The team finished the road trip with a plus-6 goal differential. Stephenson finished with an even rating. That's not good, and it's not the end of the world. However, this season, the former Golden Knight and Stanley Cup champion is minus 10, and the team is plus-1, which raises questions.

It's not like you've ever had an amazing nose. Most goals scored in a season 21 goals in 2021-22. On the other hand, his two goals in 28 games means that he is in less than six goals all season. He has hit at least 16 in his last two seasons in Vegas. Are the Krakens getting their money's worth ($6.25 million annual value)? Should it be lowered to the bottom line, if only temporarily? Questions, questions…

The biggest question is: Did the Kraken turn its season around? Now is not the time to hold your breath. Good to know the club will be returning to the Climate Pledge Arena. On the other hand, the Florida Panthers (Dec. 10), Boston Bruins (Dec. 12), and Tampa Bay Lightning (Dec. 14) are next. If they can repeat what they did on the road at home, we can talk about the season looking up.