After a week of struggles, there was one bright spot this week as the Seattle Kraken were able to get off the schneid and end their seven game losing streak. This week we saw the Kraken take on the San Jose Sharks on the road, returned home to play the Nashville Predators, and head out east to play the Washington Capitals in their first trip ever out to the District of Columbia. Let’s take a look back at the week that was and what’s ahead:
Sharks take a bite out of the Kraken, win 3-1 (2/27/22)
Kraken snap 7 game losing streak, beat the Preds 4-3 (3/2/22)
Capitals flex their muscles vs the Kraken, win 5-2 (3/5/22)
How’s it Kraken? My thoughts on the week and what’s ahead
The major bright spot of the week was the Kraken ending a seven game losing streak by beating the Nashville Predators at home on Wednesday night. I was really impressed with the resolve of this team in this game as they at one point found themselves down 2-0, came back to tie, had a lead then game was tied again yet found a way to win it on a great effort as Colin Blackwell scored a short handed goal early on in the third period as Seattle held on to win that game. I’ve always been a fan of Blackwell’s game going back to his Rangers days and is a big part of this team’s future in the bottom six. Obviously, the other two games weren’t as good as this one. Especially the game against Washington where there were definitely some goals I know goalie Chris Driedger wished he could have back. They played well for a nice stretch in that one but ultimately, the Capitals flexed their muscles with a couple power play goals and great effort to win this one. Speaking of the game against the Capitals, I was lucky to go the game and see the Kraken play live and in person for the first time which was really awesome. Their road jerseys look even better up close. Here are some photos I took at warmups:
Looking ahead, half of the week looks to be a brutal schedule for the Kraken. Today they play the second of a back to back on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes. On Tuesday night, Seattle begins a Canadian road trip to play the high scoring Toronto Maple Leafs & then the rest of the week will play against the Ottawa Senators (Thursday night) and end it with a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens (Saturday night). I think the Kraken could potentially take the game against the Hurricanes as they’ve been struggling plenty lately and are missing key defenders from their lineup. It can go either way honestly. I definitely think the game against the Maple Leafs will be a loss. The matchups against the Senators and Canadiens are very winnable games although, Ottawa has shown they can really play and have greatly improved despite their record. We’re almost two weeks away from the NHL trade deadline and remember, keep any eye out on who the Kraken deal and what they get back in return. I think guys from the Kraken like Mark Giordano (he’s definitely getting traded to go chase a cup), Marcus Johansson, and Calle Jarnkrok will be a hot commodity as we get closer to the deadline if other teams need a defenseman or forwards who can play in the top and middle six part of the lineup. Things are slowly getting more interesting and something to pay attention to…stay tuned Seattle!
Upcoming Games
3/6/22- Seattle Kraken @ Carolina Hurricanes 7pm EST/4pm PST
3/8/22- Seattle Kraken @ Toronto Maple Leafs 7:30pm EST/4:30pm PST
3/10/22- Seattle Kraken @ Ottawa Senators 7pm EST/4pm PST
3/12/22- Seattle Kraken @ Montreal Canadiens 7pm EST/4pm PST
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