Kraken (17-22-3) vs Sabres (16-21-5) | 1:00 p.m.

One: It’s in the Details

The Kraken skated at LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo Friday, focusing on defensive details and spending rep after rep building up the habits that head coach Dan Bylsma said weren’t as strong as they needed to be in Thursday’s loss to Columbus. Oliver Bjorkstrand agreed that the team needed to be better at “making better plays more often.” The veteran forward pointed to turnovers, positioning in the defensive zone, and effective clears and breakouts as areas where the Kraken could have been more effective. But it wasn’t a negative atmosphere – a spirited shootout competition drew cheers and chirps from the benches. And, as Bjorkstrand noted, finding the way back to how this team wants to play requires not just looking at what needs to be done better but also looking at effective areas of play. That allows you to maintain confidence while remembering the difference between the level of execution this team can – and should – be at. “We always have to focus on the positives while keeping in mind what we can get better at,” Bylsma said. Another reminder of details? Recently recalled John Hayden. Bylsma praised the forwards consistency with Coachella Valley this season and said his play and how he goes about his work is “something we all want to model.”

Two: One Chunk at a Time

You often hear “it’s a long season” when it comes to NHL hockey. And with 82 games, focusing on a finish line that is six months away can be over-taxing mentally and lessen the impact – or motivation! – needed for a specific game or range of games. To counter this, teams and coaches will often break a season down into segments – sometimes, those blocks are five or ten games. For the Kraken right now as they strive to climb up the standings, Bylsma has adjusted those segments to three game blocks. And for the first three matchups in this road trip, that means it’s still a winnable segment if Seattle can come out on top in two of three. The focus is on the opportunity ahead not the disappointment behind them. “We still have things to accomplish in Buffalo and Detroit,” Bylsma said.

Three: Know the Foe

Saturday marks the first time this season the Kraken will see the Sabres – a team that has faced its fair share of struggles this season. Buffalo endured a 13-game losing streak before stringing together a couple of wins, including two in their last two games, and they are now 5-2-1 in their last eight. The Sabres seem to have rediscovered their scoring touch, averaging four goals per game while allowing 2.63 per game over this same stretch. Tage Thompson (19-15-34) leads the team in points and goals, and Jason Zucker is right behind him with 15 tallies including a team-leading eight power play goals. Speaking of special teams, this is a group that doesn’t spend as much time at even strength – they are sixth in drawing penalties but also draw the fourth most in the league and when the Sabres have the skater advantage, they’ve been good recently. Buffalo has scored nine power play goals in their last nine games including two multi-goal contests. But there are areas of opportunity. Buffalo skated last game with 11 forwards and seven defenders due to some illnesses and injuries on the roster, and while they are a team that scores first a lot (25 times, tied for 2^nd) they’ve lost more of those games than they’ve won (12-8-5) and have the second most losses due to a blown lead (14) in the league.