Kraken in 10th
With their 5-4 overtime loss at the hands of the Utah Mammoth on Sunday, the Los Angeles Kings moved two points ahead of the Seattle Kraken in the Western Conference. That puts LA ninth.
The Nashville Predators, winners of four games in a row, now occupy the 2nd wild card spot, four points ahead of Seattle.
“First period, I thought we were OK, but you know, our fourth line can’t get scored on three times,” Kraken head coach Lane Lambert said after his club’s 5-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Saturday night in Columbus. “We spent a lot of time in our zone. They’re a big, heavy, veteran team. You could argue they’re the best team in the league right now based on their record over the last 25 games. When we did get it in their zone, I thought there was more of an effort to get to the net, but our D has to get pucks through.”
That young fourth line, often praised in recent weeks for providing a lift to the club with their diligence and hard work, obviously has its limitations. Whether it’s Ben Meyers with Ryan Winterton and Jacob Melanson, or if Berkly Catton or Jani Nyman are in the mix, their ice time and scoring contributions are limited.
That’s an argument that could be made about the entire Seattle line-up, now 23rd in the league with 2.83 goals per game. The club is middle of the pack in terms of goals against per game at 3.03.
Ultimately, wins and losses are the only stats that matter, and the Kraken have slipped to 31-29-and-9 following three consecutive losses.
Their only wins in thirteen games since the Olympic break; two against the bottom feeding Vancouver Canucks, one against the Carolina Hurricanes, and one against the Florida Panthers. Since New Years, Seattle has three wins against clubs that occupied a playoff spot at the time.
God forbid they would have a prayer against the “best team in the league right now.”
The Kraken road trip continues against the Panthers on Tuesday. It’s the third game of a six-game excursion.
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken Lose 3-1; Playoff Race Flip Flops
