One: Reversing the Wrong Sort of Trend
PITTSBURGH – The good news is the Kraken led the NHL in comeback victories after multi-goal deficits. That’s resilience and a no-quit mindset at work. The bad news is the Kraken have fallen behind by multiple goals on the first three games of this road trip, winning just the middle game with a flurry of scores in Buffalo. For Seattle to climb back into the wild card upper echelon, that trend needs to reverse and both Dan Bylsma and his alternate captains know it. Better starts are a must.
“With back-to-back games, we knew it was going to be one [vs. Detroit Sunday] where we had to pay close attention to the details and our habits," Dan Bylsma said after the 6-2 loss against the Red Wings. “It just wasn't there. We talked about it in between periods ... the start from our team wasn't good enough.”
Veteran forward Jaden Schwartz, a de facto team leader with captain Jordan Eberle sidelined, was matter-of-fact post-game in Detroit: “It's unacceptable ... obviously we're frustrated, we say the right things [during intermissions]. We all know it. We just got to go out there and do it. We know what our game can look like [playing fast and exciting cleanly from the defensive zone, all five players defending responsibly at the Kraken end and getting pucks to the net]. “We can't pick and choose when we're going to play our game. That's not how it works.”
Two: Leverage Scoring from the D
Another category in which the Kraken leads the league is the most goals from defensemen. Brandon Montour and Vince Dunn both have notched eight goals, with Dunn coming on strong since his return from injury. Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak both have a pair of goals, while young D-man Ryker Evans now has five scores, including a clutch shorthanded goal in the Buffalo comeback on Saturday. Evans has a promising upside as an offensive contributor who plays solid defensively, whether paired with Adam Larsson when Dunn was out or recently aside Josh Mahura on the third-pair and, at times, thanks to Evans’ mobility, flying around the ice with Brandon Montour.
Evans is just one short of tying professional career for goals, scoring six in his full year with AHL Coachella Valley. He also scored another four in the Firebirds postseason during the run that led to a Western Conference championship. Some numbers for Evans, who is increasingly fun to watch: Along with the five goals, he’s added 14 assists (he racked them in volume at the AHL and juniors levels). That adds up to 19 points in 42 games, good for the top 10 on the Kraken. The 23-year has put 45 shots on net, plus out 65 hits (four on Sunday) and 67 blocked shots (seven last game).
Three: Know the Foe: Penguins 3-4-3 in Last 10 Games
Pittsburgh is mired in sixth place in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. Four of the five teams ahead of the Pens have games in hand. They will be desperate on Tuesday. Sidney Crosby is still scoring like the “Sid the Kid” with 48 points in 45 games (12 goals and 36 assists). Forward Kevin Hayes is back from injury with four goals in eight games. But Pittsburgh is struggling at the goaltending position.
