TAKEAWAYS: Reichel 'Played His Best Performance' According to Richardson

Despite suffering another loss on the road, Lukas Reichel made a lasting impression on the coaching staff during Saturday's matchup.
Since rejoining the team back on March 2, Reichel described the confidence boost that he gained throughout his month-long stint. He noted that he was able to learn how to grow his game for this season as well as how to become a stronger forward for the next one.
"I felt more comfortable and more confident," Reichel said. "I feel good with playing with [Athanasiou], I think we have kind of the same game of speed and stuff. So, I think that was a good learning experience and I want to keep getting stronger and keep getting better for next season."

For head coach Luke Richardson, he felt that the rookie's performance against the Kraken on Saturday night was his best one yet. Throughout the matchup, the forward posted two points (1G, 1A), two shots on goal and almost 17 minutes of ice time.
In the third period, Reichel started to showcase more of his skills and what he learned in the third period with his aggressiveness on the forecheck.
"Reichel was really good, even to the end of the third period," Richardson said. "He was on the body on the forecheck and when he had the puck, he was impressive tonight."

The assist that Reichel contributed on came off the team's 5-on-3 advantage where Seth Jones' goal cut Seattle's lead to 3-2 in the second period.
While those types of power plays don't come around too often in the league, Jones knows that they always have to capitalize on the rare opportunity. If a team can't, it could help spark a momentum builder throughout the game.
"No one really gets a lot of 5-on-3's in the league, but when you get them, you want to be solid on them," Jones said. "If you don't score, you want to gain momentum for your team."
Even when Reichel joined the team back in January, he thought he came into the league with his confidence to try and earn his spot. While he learned from the mistakes he made, he still felt like he learned throughout his time on how to perfect his play and become more physical.
"I realized I can make those plays and I still have to learn sometimes by not trying too much and then I turn the puck over …," Reichel said. "It's just a good learning experience for me."