On Wednesday, February 4, the Seattle Kraken faced the Los Angeles Kings for their third game of the season. The Kraken defeated the Kings in the two previous games, a 3-2 overtime victory on December 10 and a 3-2 victory on December 23.
In this game, the Kings scored just seven minutes into the first period. Less than two minutes later, the Kraken answered with an own goal. Seattle scored two more goals in the first period, putting them ahead 3-1 after twenty minutes. The Kings scored the only goal in the second period, moving them closer to tying the score. It was the Kraken who scored just one goal in the final frame, which gave them the 4-2 victory. With this win, Seattle takes the season series.
Wright’s two goals lead the team
The Kraken managed to walk away from this match against the Kings with a 4-2 win, with two of their four goals being scored by Shane Wright.
Less than two minutes after Andrei Kuzmenko’s power-play goal, the Kraken were in action. Ryan Winterton grabbed the loose puck from behind Darcy Kuemper’s net and passed it to Wright, who was in front. He gained control of the puck with his forehand and then skated it to the other side of the net. He shot with a backhand shot tied the game.
The seconds dwindled after the Kraken’s power play opportunity in the third, but Seattle kept the ball in their zone. Kaapo Kakko received the puck near the boards and passed it to Frederick Gaudreau. He skated the puck towards the net. He passed it off to Wright in the opponent’s faceoff circle. He fired a shot which bounced off the iron and into the net for Seattle’s fourth and final goal of the night.
In 56 games, Wright now has 22 points on 11 goals and 11 assists. He was a solid member of the Kraken’s bottom six, but he’s unhappy with where Seattle is playing him. As trade rumors continue to circulate, it will be interesting to see if any moves are made, especially considering Wright’s performance in the Kraken’s last game before the break.
Kraken needs to tighten up the penalty kill
The Kraken are relatively strong on the power play, as evidenced by Wright’s third-period goal mentioned above. Vince Dunn also scored a power play goal to give his team some security in the first period. However, both of the Kings’ goals were scored on power-play opportunities for Los Angeles.
Related: Kraken Remember Coachella Valley’s Oscar Fisker Molgaard
That’s the Kraken is currently ranked 31st overall on the penalty kill, with only the Vancouver Canucks among them. They have a 71.5% success rate when they have a player on the ice behind them.
At the very least, Seattle has a strong power game and currently ranks 11th with a 23.0% success rate, tied with the New York Rangers. The Kraken need to improve on both special teams, but they have at least one of the two strengths.
Cracking in a good spot during the break
The Kraken fluctuated throughout the season, starting strong in October but struggling in late November through December. They picked themselves up again in January, and now, during the Olympic break, so are the Kraken be in a playoff spot. Seattle is just below the Edmonton Oilers in third place in the Pacific Division.
With their performance in December, many people discounted the Kraken, despite being in a play-off spot at the start of the season. Now they have turned their luck around and are back in it. Hopefully the Olympic break does the Kraken some favors so they can stay in their strong play-off position towards the end of the season by the time this positioning really matters.
Kraken returns after the Olympic break
The Kraken will be back in action after the Olympic break. They will take on the Dallas Stars on February 25 at the American Airlines Center.
The season series between the Kraken and Kings concludes on April 13 in Seattle. We’ll see if the Kings get their first win or if Seattle wins.
#Lessons #Krakens #Strong #Win #Kings #Hockey #Writers #Seattle #Kraken #Latest #News #Analysis