Seattle, WA – A game off their playoff berth clinching victory, the Seattle Kraken sought out to continue their positive momentum in the final four games of the regular season. Seattle, with some hiccups along the way that they’ll want back, pummeled Chicago and were able to keep the good vibes pushing as their winning streak now rests at four games. With the Kraken win, the two points they gain secures their spot as the top Wild Card team in the Western Conference at very minimum, as they still have a shot at overtaking the third seed in the Pacific Division. Seattle must continue their winning ways and the Los Angeles Kings need to drop a few more games, which won’t be an easy road for the Kraken as after they face the Arizona Coyotes on Monday, take on the Las Vegas Golden Knights twice to round out the season.
The Kraken’s success story this season has primarily been because of their depth in their four forward lines, and in another key victory, that shown through in this win. Seattle had 12 different skaters tally a point in the victory, while all four of Seattle’s forward lines recorded a point in the game and two of the three defenseman pairings got in on the fun with a point. The Kraken have been able to do this sort of thing all season long, and it’s arguably the biggest reason why they have been so successful in just their second year as a franchise. Getting this level of production all year long at this time of year is crucial for Seattle to start clicking at the right time as they head into their first ever postseason.
““Especially [when] you’re playing teams that can shut you down pretty well and shut down one or two lines… I think it’s huge that four lines could put pucks in,” Seattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak on his team’s depth
Kraken defenseman and alternate captain Adam Larsson, jubilant about his breakaway goal scored in the second period, noted that the team needed to address some things on their end as Chicago tallied three goals in the contest and could’ve had a fourth if it hadn’t been for a video review overturning it. Seattle’s defensive play had its typical issues, turning over the puck in their own zone and allowing persistent pressure throughout the course of the game to a Blackhawks team that has struggled all season as the second to worst team in the NHL. The vibe and general feeling of this game was unique, as the Kraken dominated the matchup, but the Blackhawks hung around and snuck in their shots when they found them.
It wasn’t as if Seattle was doing anything different or like Chicago’s offensive attack was something special, the Kraken were sloppy in their own zone and turned the puck over like they were trying to. The passing lanes were relatively open for the Blackhawks, the Kraken turned the puck over twice in their defensive zone, and Seattle generally played a bit down to their opponents’ level in the game following their playoff berth clinching victory. If there is one area of their game that I would change or improve about the Kraken, it easily would be their defensive play. With a rock-solid defensive effort game in and game out, Seattle could be unstoppable.
“There were sloppy portions of the game and [some of that’s] inherent coming off of a big win the other night… The guys know we got to make sure that we clean that back up,” Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol on his teams defensive play
The Kraken continue their final steps to the postseason, now with just three games left before they take on their first ever playoff opponent. That opponent still must be determined and will be sorted out of their next three games, which begin on Monday, April 10th inside of the infamous Mullett Arena when the team battles the Arizona Coyotes for the third and final time this season. Puck drop for the battle in the desert is at 7PM PST, and the Kraken will need to be careful about the trouble that the Coyotes may get into considering the number of fights that Arizona started in the past two games the teams played last season.
