Seattle, WA – The Seattle Kraken begin the final two weeks of the NHL regular season, with the first of two games in three days against the struggling Arizona Coyotes. Seattle washed Arizona away, tallying eight goals total and four in the third period to really emphasize their victory. Jared McCann potted two goals in his 500th career NHL game, while 15 of the 18 Kraken skaters and even goaltender Philipp Grubauer recorded a point for the largest margin of victory in franchise history. With the win, and the Nashville Predators loss, the Kraken magic number to clinch a playoff berth sits at six points.
Kraken forward Jared McCann is on his way to becoming a “legend of the deep” for the Seattle franchise, as he was the first player in team history to sign a contract extension and led the team in goals during the inaugural season. Again, he leads the team in goals (and is on pace for 40, at 37), while sitting just a tick behind the team lead for points. He got those marks with today’s performance, on a special day, as he scored two goals in his 500th career NHL game. McCann’s goals came short-handed (he now has the most short-handed goals in franchise history), and then off a nifty toe-drag to sling the puck against the pipes. Seattle’s top sharpshooter continues to knock ‘em down for the Kraken, and they will need McCann’s play to continue as they approach and hopefully enter the postseason.
“Yeah, I’m not a guy that’s really focused on numbers. I want to win the Stanley cup. That’s the main thing, right? Your time in the NHL goes by so quickly. Ask anybody on our team that’s been in league, Jordan, Jaden, those guys, even some of the guys that have won a cup. You work so hard for it, you have to work so hard for it. And if you get in the playoffs, it’s special and you need to take advantage of it,” Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann reflected when asked about approaching 40 goals on the season.
It’s been stated all season, and tonight’s blowout victory highlighted it to a tee, the biggest strength of the Kraken is the scoring depth that they have up and down the lineup. Up and down their four forward lines, and even the same through the three defenseman pairings. It’s been displayed throughout the course of the year, as all the players who have played more than 15 games have tallied at least 15 points and Seattle is the only team with 13 ten+ goal scorers (if Jamie Oleksiak scores again, they will have 14). This victory displayed that to a tee so well, that the Kraken saw their first ever goalie point as starter Philipp Grubauer got the secondary assist on Jared McCann’s second goal. The depth of this Seattle team is serious, and they will need it to click once again as the playoffs approach.
“Yeah, we’re moving the puck well. We’re getting pucks on net. We’re playing with confidence on the power play, and we’re taking the chances we need. And the looks are there, we’re capitalizing on it, so it’s good momentum for us, especially near the end of the year.,” Seattle Kraken forward Daniel Sprong on what went right tonight.
Seattle has a quick turnaround following this massive victory over the Coyotes at home, as they’ll travel up North to Vancouver for their final game of the season against the Canucks. While things seem good for the Kraken after scoring eight goals tonight and having beaten Vancouver the last time that the two division rivals met, Seattle cannot afford to try and cruise through this game. The Canucks have been a massive thorn in the Kraken side for Seattle’s existence as an NHL franchise, and Vancouver has a winning record in their past ten contests. The Kraken must again put together a 60-minute effort and handle business against the Canucks, so that they can continue their march to the playoffs. That game is on Tuesday, April 4th with a puck drop at 7PM PST.
