Seattle, WA – Just a few days after the second of two tight losses, the Seattle Kraken flipped the mental switch that held been holding them back. A few days of practicing their three-on-three game have paid off, as with the 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, the Kraken have won their last two contests in the overtime period. Tight, grinding divisional contests may be the standard for Seattle’s upcoming schedule, as they will continue a five-game streak of games against Pacific Division opponents after this win.
Since the opener of the current six-game homestand, the high-octane offense of the Kraken has taken a bit of a step back. Seattle’s opponents have made it difficult to get shots on net, and in cases like tonight, the Kraken have been downright unlucky as several pucks took a bad bounce or hit the pipes. In these gritty games, players need to step up and chip in wherever. Tonight, Jared McCann and Daniel Sprong answered that call. Both players snapped scoring droughts to give Seattle goals in the first and third periods, respectively. Daniel Sprong spoke postgame about how his goal took place.
“We had some really good looks, so we knew if we got more chances, we’d be able to score. I was able to bury one right after they scored a shorthanded goal… I always knew my offensive side was there, and I’ve been showing that this year… I work on the shot I made a lot in practice, the no look five hole,” Sprong reflected.
Prior to these past two wins, Seattle has been relatively poor historically when it comes to the overtime period. The Kraken are three games under .500 over 15 games in franchise history when they play free hockey, but the newer approach taught in practice over the past week has Seattle headed in the right direction. While that makes it sound elaborate and dynamic, the strategy that Seattle has in place is quite simple: play patient, and don’t take risks that put the team in a bad position. The Kraken displayed that in the win against the Rangers and this win against the Kings, making the timely play and staying patient until the right moment to strike. Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol spoke on his time’s overtime performances, postgame.
“I guess all we had to figure out was getting 7 and 13 on the ice, that’s the formula, I don’t think it has anything to do with practice. But seriously, it was a different overtime tonight. We didn’t have the puck a whole lot, but we defended really well. We didn’t give up anything, nothing threatening, we were patient. On the play for the game winning goal, Schultz does a good job defending,” Hakstol stated.
Following this thrilling win, the Kraken will get some quality days off before finishing their six-game homestand. The San Jose Sharks will head to Climate Pledge Arena, battling the Kraken on November 23rd, 2022. The struggling Sharks will face off against Seattle with a 7PM PST puck drop as the teams collide for the first time this season.