In three of their last five games, the most dangerous obstacle the Seattle Kraken faced was a multi-goal lead.
Oct. 13: Led 2-0 in the 3rd period at Philadelphia; won 3-2 in shootout.
Oct. 20: Led 3-0 in the 3rd period vs. Detroit; won 4-3 in shootout.
Oct. 22: Led 3-1 in the 3rd period vs. Utah; won 5-3 after game was tied.
Not lost among the lost leads is the grit Seattle showed in ultimately winning all three games. “We continue to find ways to come back from these disappointments,” coach Lane Lambert said Thursday. “As we move along, we’re sure hoping that we learn from it.”
Speaking to the team after the game, the coach said, “I liked our resilience. 3-3, not going our way. Pretty easy to fold the tent. No! Not in this room. We battled our a** off. Well done. Way to come back.”
Kraken Leads Preferable To Alternative
Image at right: winning goalie Philipp Grubauer accepts the Jofa helmet from teammates for his 33-save effort vs. Utah.
While falling behind instead would technically solve the Kraken lost-leads issue, Lambert naturally found that a poor alternative. “Let’s start with having the lead. That’s pretty good.”
Keeping leads? Not working as well. “Against Detroit, I though we sat back. Didn’t like that very much.” Against Utah, “We were standing around watching the play.”
Did they ever. The Kraken went more than nine minutes in the 2nd period between shots on goal, and didn’t have any for the first 14 minutes of the 3rd period. “In 5-on-5 play, Seattle created 40 percent of shot volume, which resulted in 27 percent of shot quality,” according to Sportlogiq.
Once the Mammoth used two 3rd period Logan Cooley goals to forge a 3-3 tie, Lambert delivered a simple message during a stop-the-bleeding timeout. “We needed to be reminded that we’re pretty good, too. We’ve got to continue to play the same way that got us the lead.” Lambert said he expects that consistency to come with “experience and time.”
“Took a couple of seconds off there,” was Bobby McMann’s analysis. Seattle rebounded, first on a McMann goal erased because Chandler Stephenson was determined after a coach’s challenge to be a few millimeters offside. “When something like that happens, you feel like you’re playing the right way. Gives us energy.”
Undeterred, McMann started another rush with six minutes left. “I think we found our legs again.” McMann followed his own shot by taking a pass from Brandon Montour and sliding the puck to Mackie Samoskevich for the game-winner into a wide open net.
‘We Can Play With Anybody’
“It’s tough when you let a team back in. They have all the momentum,” said Kraken center Matty Beniers, who scored the second Seattle goal Thursday. “After they tie it up, putting our foot down and turning the tide, getting some offense, scoring the go-ahead goal, those are huge moments.
“We’re really connected as a team right now. Guys are competing, winning battles, doing the right things. We’re playing with confidence.”
The Kraken enter Saturday’s home game against Minnesota with the best 11-game start in franchise history, 7-3-1. Captain Jordan Eberle, who scored the opening goal vs. Utah and already has nine points (4 goals, 5 assists), is encouraged.
“We can play with anybody. We just got to believe it in ourselves. Just keep building. That’s what this season’s all about, just building growth and just everyone one step at a time here. You’re not going to win every hockey game. The biggest thing is you want to leave games with an impression on other teams that these guys are good. it’s a matter of doing that every single night. It’s consistency. It’s hard to do, but we’re up for it.”
Winterton Hits Century Mark With Kraken
Winger Ryan Winterton played his 100th NHL game Thursday, skating 11:58 with two shots and one hit. “Pretty crazy. I never though I’d get one game, let alone 100. Hopefully, many more to come.” The 2021 3rd round pick from Markham, Ontario summed up the 4th line’s early season success in four words. “Simple, fast and direct.”
