“I’ll never, ever discredit a win,” said Seattle Kraken coach Lane Lambert after Thursday’s 5-4 victory over Toronto. “We were hard to play against. 5-on-5, we were the better hockey team. That’s why I was pleased with the game tonight. They didn’t get a scoring chance at 5-on-5 in the 3rd period.”
The underlying numbers indicate that’s a generous reading. In fact, the Leafs game again exposed issues which dogged the Kraken throughout their 3-1-0 homestand.
Kraken Issue 1: Holding Leads
For a team desiring to build its identity on stingy defense, the Kraken are winning despite ranking 6th worst, 3.5 goals allowed per game.
Sure, Toronto didn’t get a sniff at 5-on-5. But passively protecting a 4-2 lead, Seattle allowed Jack Roslovic to score 4-on-4. After the Leafs pulled their goalie, Auston Matthews pulled the visitors even on a 6-on-5 tally in the final 90 seconds.
Brandon Montour took the lead back for good with 34 seconds left. In the dressing room later, winning goalie Phillip Grubauer told teammates, “Thanks, guys, for saving my a** there.”
In each of their last three wins, Seattle held multi-goal leads. On Oct. 22, they surrendered a 3-1 3rd period advantage to Utah, but won 5-3 on Mackie Samoskevich’s tie-breaking goal at 14:35. Two nights earlier, they were actually up by three over Detroit with 15 minutes to play, but needed a shootout to prevail.
“I don’t think we’re playing bad (with a lead),” said Samoskevich. “We just sit back a little too much. If we were down a couple of goals, we’d be pushing pretty hard, too.”
Those comments were echoed by Chandler Stephenson. “When you’re down, it doesn’t really matter if one goes in (against you). When you’re protecting a lead, you’re more conservative, trying to defend better.
“Sometimes you back yourself into a corner. The more we’re in those situations, the more comfortable we’re going to get.”
Kraken Issue 2: Dry Spells
If you took a shot every time the Kraken took a shot on goal… you’d probably stay sober.
In the first 19 minutes of the 3rd period against the Leafs, the closest the Kraken came to a SOG was Ryker Evans’ dump-in from 130 feet. For the game, Seattle managed just 17 total shots, despite five power plays.
In the 2nd period of a 5-1 loss to the Wild Oct. 24, Seattle was outshot 16-1. Against the Mammoth, they were outshot 14-4 in the 3rd period. Against the Red Wings, 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.
Saving Seattle is lighting the lamp on an unreasonably high percentage of the shots they do take. The Kraken rank 6th in goals per game at 3.7. Their 14.5 shooting percentage is 4th highest in the league.
“We’d love to have a few more shots,” Lambert said after the victory over Toronto, “but I thought we were really sound.”
Kraken Issue 3: PK Woes
Two of Toronto’s goals came on Gavin McKenna power play strikes. Saying the Kraken penalty kill on the homestand was brutal is an insult to the word “brutal.” For the season, the PK ranks 28th at an anemic 68%.
- vs. Detroit: 4 times shorthanded, 2 goals allowed
- vs. Utah: 3 times shorthanded, 2 goals allowed
- vs. Minnesota: 2 times shorthanded, 0 goals allowed
- vs. Toronto: 3 times shorthanded, 2 goals allowed
The Kraken only survived a double-minor against Minnesota because goalie Joey Daccord was spectacular, making five saves while shorthanded.
“Our penalty killing, we’ve got to do something to fix that,” coach Lambert said while shaking his head after Thursday’s home victory. “We can’t keep getting scored on like that.”
Earlier Kraken:
— Positive Vibes From Kraken’s 3-and-1 Homestand
Earlier Canucks:
— The Canucks Are On Their Own Sad, Little Planet
Your “Kraken Reaction” recap! …
