3 Game Essentials | Kraken (4-4-2) at Flames (5-2-0) | 6 p.m.

During his media scrum Monday, coach Dave Hakstol referred to the top-six and bottom-six lines, not his usual descriptors. The top-six would be the first and second lines, which right now Kraken fans can identify as Burakovsky-Wennberg-Bjorkstrand and Schwartz-Beniers-Eberle, respectively. Both lines have been kept in place for the last six games-clearly an intentional decision from Hakstol and his staff. The bottom-six covers two lines, one currently with Yanni Gourde centering Jared McCann and Brandon Tanev. Call it the third line if you like, but McCann and Schwartz are co-leaders in goals scored with five. Tanev has a goal and five assists while Gourde proved his top-six worthiness last season.
"We're starting to see some chemistry with all four of the lines," said Hakstol, who said the Pittsburgh victory leads him to not making any lineup changes against Calgary. That adds up to Morgan Geekie (two goals in the last three games, plus an assist in Chicago to make it three points in four games since returning to the lineup) playing between Daniel Sprong and Ryan Donato. Sprong notched a goal and three assists during last week's homestand.

After Morgan Geekie's pretty and patient-with-the-puck goal late second period against the Penguins Saturday, the Kraken held the 2-1 advantage until a late-third period empty-net goal from Jaden Schwartz sealed a 3-1 win. The formula for holding a lead is strong goaltending. Martin Jones made a big stop on Sidney Crosby during a power play and stood tall during what Hakstol called "lapses" and Jordan Eberle called "back on our heels."
For most of the period, the Kraken skaters were aggressive about getting pucks into the Pittsburgh zone and keeping it in there, generating scoring chances. But those lapses caught Hakstol's and Eberle's attention as a defect to fix for this three-game road trip.
"When you defend for 30 seconds, then make a play to get the puck out of the zone and just give it right back," said Hakstol referring to two specific lapses. "That means you're defending again [and wearing out your players]. So [the fix] is making that next play, extending possession into the offensive zone. ... But you're playing a good team [the situation on this week's road swing], they're going to make plays. They're going to have a push. There will be those times where you have to defend well and weather the storm." That's where Jones and fellow Kraken goalies can step up.
It's been noted in these pages/screens that Jaden Schwartz was greatly missed last season, which was marred by injuries. The Kraken could have used his high hockey IQ, net-front presence, and gritty attention to forechecking/backchecking in the Kraken lineup last season due to injuries. Don't forget playmaking too. Anyone who watched Schwartz's spin pass to Matty Beniers for a goal Thursday knows all about it (you can find the GIF on the Kraken app). His play behind the Pittsburgh net to win a puck battle and get the puck to Matty Beniers was the foundation of Jordan Eberle's first goal of the year, a timely score not just to honor Deacon Eberle's birth of Friday but because the scoring play wiped out the potential downer emotions of having two goals disallowed in the span of three to four shifts.