Heading east, and where are they headed? 5 burning Kraken questions

It’s often premature to assume a trip in December has heavy weight on an 82-game season, unless unique circumstances are a part of the picture. 

For the Seattle Kraken, the circumstances are unique, if not dire. They are missing their captain Jordan Eberle, went 1-3 in a four-game stretch last week against the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, and now have four games in six days along the eastern seaboard coming up. Three are against playoff-contending teams of the Eastern Conference: Carolina, New Jersey, and the New York Rangers, with the New York Islanders within three points of the Eastern Conference cut line. 

“The investment which we’re playing with the game, and the game plan, is not where it needs to be to have success on a night to night basis,” said Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma, lamenting a 4-2 loss on Saturday to San Jose. 

Jared McCann went as far as to suggest a players-only meeting is coming. 

“That’s going to be on our leadership group,” said McCann. “We’ve got to sit down, everybody, just the players and figure it out here. We know we can beat good teams.” 

Five burning questions for the Kraken, sitting five points back of the cut line in the Western Conference, heading into the four-game trip: 

1.        Can goaltending find stable ground once again? 

For much of the previous month, this area was the least of their concerns – mainly because Joey Daccord has been getting the bulk of starts, and has been phenomenal. Daccord, even with two losses to Anaheim and San Jose, still sits 10-6-1 with a .912 save percentage, and is a top-ten goaltender in the league at 5.9 goals-saved-above-expected (according to MoneyPuck.com’s analytical data). 

In contrast, Philipp Grubauer has struggled, whose 1-7 record with another injury-dented start, is paired a with an .862 save percentage – the latter at 70th of the 79 goalies who have played a single minute in the NHL. Hints of catalyst-type games, such as high-end performances in 2-0 losses each to Dallas and the New York Rangers despite a lack of offensive support, have been clouded recently with an 8-5 loss to the Sharks last Friday, where seven goals – including three unscreened mid-to-long range blasts, got past him on just 26 shots. 

Daccord has trended as the bulk starter in net, and it would surprise nobody to see him play three games in this road trip. He will need to show any evidence of a disappointing Thanksgiving week is gone, with the attention on Grubauer to show he is firmly turning the corner, swiftly, in his next start. 

2.        What long term effects will Vince Dunn’s return provide the lineup? 

One of the small silver linings from Saturday was Dunn’s return, out from the previous 19 games with a “mid-body” termed injury. He’s going to eat up a ton of minutes once again, taking the heat off Brandon Montour, who has had a smashing Kraken debut, and Ryker Evans, who has blossomed in his second full NHL season. 

This is all assuming that Evans is healthy enough to play, held out from full participation in Monday’s practice after he was visibly in pain on the bench after blocking a shot in the third period. Evans would return to play, but Bylsma on Monday used the word “concerning” with Evans’ immediate status in the lineup. If he can’t go, Dunn’s return is even more critical. 

Dunn and Montour give the Kraken two major pistons in their offensive engine who start play from their own zone and are wizards as power play point men. Dunn was plus-1 in his return Saturday, eating up 26:15 of ice time (only topped by a whopping 27:32 from Montour). He may even need to be ready if (and at this point, when) Bylsma shortens the bench. At one point on Saturday, Bylsma double shifted Dunn with Montour on defense, hoping to accelerate a comeback which fizzled out late in regulation. 

“My legs were good,” said Dunn. “My execution was pretty good. Missing six weeks is a long time. It goes by pretty slowly.” 

It appears that Dunn is healthy enough to proverbially pound as many rocks as he can on the blueline, and couldn’t have returned at a more opportune period. 

3.        That top line production! Can Jared McCann’s goal provide a spark? 

It’s often said without goaltending, a hockey team’s ship is rudderless. Right behind goaltending is top end scoring, which has been nearly absent for the past three weeks. 

Matty Beniers, Chandler Stephenson, Jared McCann, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jaden Schwartz, and Andre Burakovsky have combined for just six goals in the last eight games. Beniers has been shut out since Nov. 14 at Chicago. Burakovsky has just one goal in 25 games. Eberle will be on the shelf until almost the NHL trade deadline. Goal scorers can be known as extremely streaky, and McCann’s 10th goal of the season on Saturday wasn’t cheap: an on-brand, sizzling, high-rising snapshot that beat Mackenzie Blackwood from the left circle. Perhaps it’s a spark. 

But the Kraken know they need to collectively hit the pedal to the floor, but even when it doesn’t necessarily require a king’s ransom of offense each night. But it will require puck-on-stick attention with a virtual label, “handle with care.” 

“Execution, making bad plays with the puck, not getting it deep, and turning the puck over over,” said McCann, on the reasons of the team’s recent three-game skid. 

“It always seems to go in the back of our own net. When that happens, you have to simplify – you’re not going to beat teams scoring five, six goals every game. Sometimes you have to win 1-0 or 2-0 – and the quicker we realize that, the better we’re going to be.” 

4.        And what about the power play? 

Friday seemed to provide a eureka moment in the chaos of a 13-goal game that the Kraken power play began to show some life, scoring twice (courtesy Shane Wright) after suffering an 0-for-22 outage. But it was back another dry night on Saturday, coming up empty on two opportunities. They are still in search of long term solutions. 

It’s a two-unit scheme run by assistant coaches Bob Woods and Jessica Campbell that has showcased more dynamic movement in a traditional 1-3-1 structure, but now has taken on a new look. Normally, one defenseman controls the unit at the point, acting as the unit’s quarterback. That typically falls on Brandon Montour’s shoulders for one unit, and another capable defenseman for the other unit, such as Dunn. But with Dunn hurt for the beginning of the season, Ryker Evans earned looks as the unit’s second point man. 

But on Saturday, the Kraken tried an old-school look, deploying two defensemen in the set-up: Dunn and Montour on the top unit, with three forwards. It suggests the Kraken are loading up the top the top unit which includes three of their more talented forwards – usually Matty Beniers, Jared McCann, and a high-velocity shooter in Eeli Tolvanen. They stayed out for the entirety of a second power play to begin the second period, where Luke Kunin snuck behind them out of the penalty box and beat Daccord cleanly from the right wing for a 2-0 advantage. 

"As a whole, we've got to figure this out," said Dunn.

No dice. We’ll see if that plan holds up starting on Tuesday, but the power play collectively has bagged just five goals since Halloween, which needs a jolt, promptly. 

5.        What’s at stake on Friday in New Jersey? 

In terms of challenges, the Kraken have their hands full on three fronts. Not just for the fact they will be getting deep into the road trip against Sheldon Keefe’s Devils who are off to a hot start, not just for the fact they’re winless in three games at New Jersey, but they’ll also face their fifth ending of back-to-back games this season, after visiting the New York Islanders the night before. 

The results have been tough to stomach: 0-4 in the second leg of back-to-back, outscored 10-2 by the opposition. How the Kraken respond in this game on Friday will serve as a critical benchmark to the lessons they processed from Thanksgiving week. Before Saturday’s game, Bylsma preached a “crisp” approach, in stark contrast to how they started the previous three games on no rest. 

After the loss to San Jose, one in which he explained the team’s “tip toe” attitude, his attention turned to the dressing room in a season that’s 30 percent complete, and attached to an 11-13-1 record. Battle drills, Bylsma said, took over practice on Monday in Carolina. Beniers and Stephenson made positive impressions, coming off a Saturday loss that was heavy with internal reflection. 

“We all have to take ownership in it,” said Bylsma after Saturday. 

“The guys in the room, the coaching staff, you have to take ownership in that. That comes from me, that comes from the coaching staff, that comes from the players in the room as well.”